School has started!!!

We are in full swing & all is going well!! Zhen Zhen had eye surgery in July and is now wearing glasses and patching everyday. We will return in November and see if we need more surgery. We were also given a good report from the neurosurgeon, endocrinologist, and cardiologist. We will visit with them again within the next year. Zhen Zhen has actually grown approx. 2 inches since we had her checked in May - pretty amazing!! She is communicating solely in English and has even forgotten a lot of her Mandarin. (which makes us sad) We had visited a Chinese school in Plano (55 mins from our home) - but realized that unless she had someone to converse with on a daily basis, it would probably be pointless. We're hopeful that our schools will add Mandarin to their foreign language program so that she may pick it up at a later age.
She is loving first grade and we are busy learning our Kindergarten word wall words so that she can start learning the first grade list.
Zhen Zhen has opened up so much and has given us so much information about her life in China. We are so thankful that the Lord chose to place her in our family. She has been such a blessing to us.

Catching up with a few pictures

We started Zhen Zhen in school - she was able to attend the last 5 days. She loved school!!

We had a picnic and went swimming with our friends the Websters. We had a wonderful time!!

I just wanted to share a few pictures from our past weeks. All is well...we are in the midst of our doctor's appts. So much so that when ZhenZhen is talking on the phone, it is now only to the doctor. :)

New Kitchen...

Look what we received today from our friends, the Krog family!! Zhen Zhen loves her new kitchen!

Birthday Celebration

Our new Bike
Eating at the restaurant
Zhen Zhen with Dr. Dibbs
Zhen Zhen with the interpreter - David
Home from seeing the doctor-she stole the show :)
Last thing she had on before going to bed and the first thing she put on!

Yesterday we celebrated my birthday with a doctor's appt to Children's Medical Center. Rob surprised me and took the whole day off. We spent about 3 hrs at Children's. All in all, it was a pleasant experience. Zhen Zhen woke up in a great mood and this mood continued until we entered Children's Medical Pavilion. She took one look around and caught on rather quickly as to what was ahead of her. Once we checked in, we were escorted up to the exam room by our doctor's right hand woman, Liz. We were then introduced to our interpreter, David. Zhen Zhen was very reserved and tearful by this time. Within the next hour, the Zhen Zhen that we knew emerged. After a thorough exam, Dr. Dibbs informed us that she found a heart murmur. Not only would be seeing a neurosurgeon, endocrinologist, and an ophthalmologist, but she would also be scheduling a visit with a cardiologist. We are prayerful that the murmur is insignificant (Dr. Dibbs felt Zhen Zhen would be more symptomatic if it were anything serious). It was not mentioned in any of Zhen Zhen's medical charts that we received from China.

Following our appointment, we were off to eat at an authentic Chinese restaurant in North Garland, First Chinese B-B-Q. (recommended by a family at our church) We ended up ordering roasted duck, Kung Pao Chicken, and Sweet and Sour Pork Chops (?) - this is what the waiter said that Zhen Zhen asked for. We think that it's what they had most of in the kitchen, because she wouldn't touch it :) She absolutely loved the roasted duck and gave us thumbs up as we left the restaurant. She made sure we understood that she wanted to return. By the time we returned to Rockwall, we had about 15 minutes to run by Target and pick up Zhen Zhen a new bike. She was so proud when Ba Ba had finished putting it together. We were out first thing this morning practicing.

One funny and sweet story - when Rob was on his way home from taking the boys to The Shore, they stopped by Bath and Body Works to buy Zhen Zhen some lotion (yes, she has her dad wrapped around her finger). On the way, she insisted that they stop and buy MaMa a shirt for her birthday. She was very proud that she picked out my gift (Rob had to steer her away from the bright pink one). She found it this morning and wanted me to wear it.

It was a great birthday - I have much to be thankful for, a wonderful family and a Heavenly Father that loves me unconditionally!

Detra

Thankful for small glimpses...

So thankful for small glimpses of Zhen Zhen feeling a part of our family. Thank you for your prayers. Our Lord is faithful!! It will just take time, however, we are being encouraged daily!

Zhen likes to go, in other words, she likes to stay busy. She wonders why she isn't going to school. We have made many trips out to different stores and to a park. We are going to meet some new friends today at another park. These friends have all been adopted from China. We can't wait!!

What a picky eater she has become. She ate everything in site in China and now, one never knows what she will eat. We made our way to an Asian Market the other day. We made it home with some of her favorite snacks, roasted seaweed and spicey hot dried squid. Her breath is just lovely :) Also, if anyone ever needs a natural laxative, seaweed works wonders. I have to hide it from her.

I better go - Zhen Zhen doesn't like me to be on the computer. I will post pictures soon. I also want to thank everyone for the wonderful meals and gifts!! Please forgive me for being so late in sending thank you notes.
Love,
Detra

There is rest for the weary...

...and that rest lies solely in the Lord and not in this world. We have been asked many times why we chose to adopt. Here is a short version of our story.

Rob and I had come to a point in our lives that we felt that we had become self absorbed in ourselves. We both felt that the Lord was calling us to get out of our comfort zone, put our selfish wants aside and follow Him. By following Him, we felt His call for our family was to adopt an orphan. We started out seeking a 3 yr old child, one that was not a "special needs" child. I will never forget my first meeting with our social worker. She asked me if we had considered a "Waiting Child" (aka: special needs child). I suddenly felt a sick feeling in my stomach. My quick response was, "oh no". We had decided on a child up to 3 yrs old, boy or girl. However, as time went by, that question posed to me never escaped my thoughts. A seed had been planted. Periodically, I would mention it to Rob and he, too, was reluctant. About a year after our first meeting with our social worker, Rob approached me about seriously praying about accepting a special needs child into our family. We also spoke to the boys and asked them to pray. Over the next couple of months, we felt led to fill out the "Waiting Child" application. We submitted our application in late August and immediately began receiving lists of children on the "waiting list". During the next 3 weeks, Rob once again approached me asking me to prayerfully consider adopting an older child. I again was resistant, however, within days, the Lord changed my heart. He opened my eyes to look at the older children on the list that we were supplied with periodically. Within this 3 week period, Zhen Zhen appeared on the list. She had just been added to the list, however, we have since found out that she was on another adoption agency's individual list for 3 years prior. We can't help but ask why she had not been adopted within these 3 years. We then stop and fully rest knowing that this is the child the Lord has chosen for our family and His timing is perfect!

I will be honest and tell you that the past 4-5 days have been extremely difficult. Zhen Zhen misses her homeland and her mama terribly. At this time, her comfort is found in Rob or the boys. Many tried to prepare me for this rejection, however, one never realizes how this will play out until it's staring them straight in the face. I have seen such sweet moments with Rob. She loves to pray with Rob and will offer a hearty Amen at the end. Just last night, before we ate, she folded her hands and looked at Rob and said "Amen". This is her way of saying, come on dad, we need to pray before we eat. I continually have to remember that this is not about me, but her and the fulfillment of the Lord's calling in our lives.

I do want to let you all know that I have appreciated the encouraging emails, text messages, and phone calls. I look around and see how the devil is trying to tear down our families. I am thankful that our Lord has dominion over all.

One more thing, special needs, really??? We all have special needs, however, our one and only need is for a Saviour! May the the Lord continue to bless us and guide us while here on this Earth to care for those in need and to share His truths with all those around us.

Much Love,
Detra

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

We are home!!

We are home...and glad to be on U.S. soil!! What a whirlwind of a day, experienced world travelers, we're not. We cut it close on our flight out of Tokyo (did anyone else in our group notice how nice the bathrooms were at the Tokyo airport? - the little things we now notice :) and then on our flight to Dallas from San Fransisco. All the little extra things we had to take care of since we had an immigrant entering the US. lol!

We were met at the airport by some dear friends and then drove up to the most beautiful sign in our yard welcoming Zhen Zhen home - thank you neighbors! Thank you, too, for all the food! Zhen Zhen colored most of the trip home thanks to the Tompkins (Molly and Charlotte)!! We feel so blessed that the Lord has placed so many wonderful people in our lives.

Zhen Zhen seemed a bit overwhelmed once getting home. I don't blame her a bit!! She wasn't crazy about our dog. We had our guide in Guangzhou remind her of Ebby, however, we see that it will take time. After dinner, she became very upset and told us that she wanted to go home. All we can do is just love on her and cry with her. We will never fully understand the depth of her mourning. It tears us up seeing her this way, however, we know that with love, prayer, and time, the Lord will comfort her and draw us together as a family closer to Him. However, after a little while, she was back to her normal happy self! My parents are here to take care of us this weekend and they had the best time laughing with her! Thanks mom and dad!

Zhen Zhen went back into her room and started to look through her drawers. She found the hats that Dawn had given her and immediately put one on her head. Dawn, she loves them! Dad treated her to Mandarin Orange Sherbet (Braums) before bed and I just had to take a couple of pics with her orange lips! Ge Ge (pronounced goo goo as in good) slept on the floor of her room last night. They're still asleep. The other Ge Ge will sleep there tonight. Again, so thankful for Samuel and Peter - they have been great!!

I'm going to try to go back to sleep~

Love,
Detra

We're headed home!!

What a wonderful experience the Lord has allowed our family to embark upon!! We have not only formed strong bonds with Zhen Zhen's native country, China, but also with our group of families. It will be sad to say our good byes. We have shared 2 special weeks with them. We can't wait to be home, get Zhen Zhen settled, meet new friends, and be with family.

I personally do not know what Zhen Zhen will do when BaBa isn't right at her side on Monday. I think we may be making a trip to the hospital to have lunch with BaBa.

We made a trip to the US consulate yesterday to apply for Zhen Zhen's visa and to take our oath as parents. Everything is complete here in China. Now, once we land on US soil, Zhen Zhen will be an US Citizen.

P.S. Thanks Aunt Becky for the Crocs - they were great!!

Love,

Detra

I, too, have mixed emotions about leaving - sadness to leave Zhen Zhen's birth land and the new friends we've made, anxious about how Zhen Zhen will react to the real world (the one that DOESN'T revolve around her), upcoming communication barriers, car seat and airplane seat belt battles, and many more that I haven't thought of! The only thing we can take comfort in is that our God is sovereign and faithful to us. Our family is so thankful to have an even broader glimpse of the love one can have for an adopted son or daughter, just as we have been adopted. We continue to praise God for our new family! This will probably be our last update until we're on US soil - this evening will be somewhat hectic in Hong Kong. Thank you for your support and prayers - we love you!

Rob

Two days left...

Our group

Our family on the "Red Couch"

This is Peter being very helpful to mom and carrying her "pink" bag!!

Breakfast at the White Swan

Ready for breakfast

Can you tell that BaBa is pretty crazy about his little girl?

My Girl :)

We have only 2 days left in Guangzhou and then we are off to Hong Kong before we return home on Friday. We are missing Tianjin and are very thankful that we had a week to spend in this wonderful city. Guangzhou is nice; however, it is more westernized. We really enjoyed being immersed in the Chinese culture while in Tianjin.
Zhen Zhen is still a bit under the weather. She will be herself for awhile, and then all of the sudden appear totally wiped out. We think it may also be the humidity here in Guangzhou. She is not use to the heat or it being muggy. I just gave her some Tylenol and she’s zonked. Dad went with the other men to the “watch market”.
We spent yesterday at the “Safari Park”. It was really cool. We were allowed to get really close to the animals, probably too close. It was hot, but a lot of fun. Today, we shopped a little bit for Zhen Zhen. I only brought a couple of outfits for her since I didn’t know her size. The boys were not into the shopping at all! Even dad got a little worn out. Zhen Zhen definitely knows what she likes. Rob and I would pick something out and she would scrunch her nose up and shake her head no. Rob is accusing us of buying too much pink. Did I tell you that her favorite color is pink?? As you can tell by our many posts, she is very opinionated. In this case, if she doesn’t like it, she’s not going to wear it!! She actually saved me a lot of money today.
We had our official “red couch” pictures today. Zhen Zhen was so pretty – Rob tells me that our vision is clouded. Oh well...our prayer is that her heart reflects the beauty that only Christ can bestow.
That’s about all today – we hope to take her swimming tomorrow!
Love,
Detra

I wanted to have some input on today’s blog because I didn’t want Detra to have to tell a couple of the stories second hand! Let me start by saying we’re terribly late with this one due to some travel issues. The first “story” starts with our departure from the “Kind Hotel” in Tianjin. The Links (the other family with us) had already checked out, so I was checking out on my own. The young man assisting me wasn’t particularly comfortable with his English, so he asked another staff member for assistance. She looked at me and said, “Escuse me sir, did you have any conception while in your room”. I’m quite sure I had a puzzled look on my face, and she quickly added “It’s alright”. Thank goodness nobody from my party was around, or I would’ve lost it. She then mentioned something about the mini-bar in the room, so I’m guessing she meant “concession” from the mini-bar. We were scheduled to leave Tianjin for Guangzhou on Friday at 7:30PM (6:30AM Rockwall time), and our plane was delayed due to “mechanical difficulties” for about 2 hours. I chose to only tell Detra that there was a small problem (I fessed up the next morning) or I would have never gotten her on the plane. As a result, we didn’t get into our hotel in Guangzhou until about 2AM Saturday morning. After a brief night’s sleep, we had a hearty breakfast at our new hotel, The White Swan. It’s a very nice hotel – and the breakfast is fantastic and full of variety. Fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, fish, baked items and a number of pastries are all available – the best. From there, we had our trip to the clinic (I feel like we’ve had a glimpse of Obamacare :) ) for physical exams and immunizations (from which we are still recovering). The clinic visit and lack of sleep left us exhausted, so we had a quick lunch at the deli nearby, and came back to the room to rest most of the afternoon. Guangzho is a busy international trade center (this week is the “trade fair”), so many people speak English and you see a lot of Western influence – after our nap we headed to Starbuck’s. Zhen Zhen’s first Starbuck’s experience was hysterical – she had us in stitches. We finished ours and left with her hot chocolate in a “to go” cup to do some shopping. We went to “Emma’s Place”, purchased some quick items and asked where we could by some tennis shoes for Zhen Zhen – up to this point we’ve been unable to find any that would fit. She told us of the local shopping area “where all the Asians shop”; by God’s design (we don’t believe in luck, of course), her sister stopped by the shop on her way home and said she would take us there. Little did we know we would be going through the bowels of the Guangzho street markets to get there! It was like a small series of alleyways with street vendors on each side, selling all sorts of items – dog and cat food, dogs and cats (possibly for food), chickens, ducks, striped rodents – it was an eye opener. We finally arrived at the shopping area – it was packed full of people. We quickly found some shoes for Zhen Zhen (40 YUAN – great deal!), and started shopping again. Remember the hot chocolate? Zhen Zhen decided it no longer needed the spill proof lid, and she and I quickly became soaked (yes, EVERY layer of clothing) in genuine Starbuck’s chocolate – and yes, I had on a white shirt. This is a representation of the people here – we had random people stop when they saw what had happened and gave us PACKAGES of Kleenex! After continued stares from people in the shops (at my clothes), we decided it was time to head back to the hotel. We headed back the same way we came (even a little more unsettling than the 1st trip through). We got home, washed hot chocolate out of our clothes in the bathtub, and went to bed. Zhen Zhen didn’t sleep well at all – a very restless night accompanied by fever that continued through this morning. She had a light breakfast, rebounded slightly, so we went ahead and went to a jade store and the pearl market, came home and rested again. She simply has not been herself today and we’re anxious for her to feel better.

We so clearly see God’s in hand in this life changing event. Zhen Zhen matches our family so well from the food she likes to the music she enjoys (along with her beautiful voice!) – He is so worthy of our praise! Today is the Lord’s day, and we are rejoicing and are glad in it! Thank you all for your continued support and prayers – we love you –
Rob (representing all of the Scheeles)

A short note

We did arrive in Guangzhou and had our physical exam yesterday. Zhen Zhen also had to get 2 shots before she could enter the states, the DTaP and Influenza. We did give her tylenol and she started running a fever last night and still today is not well. We are continuing to give her tylenol and she is resting. So hard to see a vibrant girl so fatigued. I will be staying home with her today while the guys go shopping with our group.
Will post more later! Please keep ZhenZhen in your prayers!

Love,
Detra

Our last day in Tianjin

I know you won't believe it ;), however, I'm having a hard time today. Grace came by our room to go over our paperwork that we would need in Guangzhou and to interpret a letter the foster mom wrote, and her baby journals. They were both very touching. I am overwhelmed with the love her foster mom had for her; she was a wonderful mother and for this, I am so very grateful!! Through God's providence and sovereignty, ZhenZhen has been cared for in a loving family that constantly worked with her to make her a "normal" child. We realize, that we've been granted a wonderful blessing, but also a tremendous responsibility in maintaining and providing an environment that continues in this as well as one that glorifies the Lord - and this is our prayer. I would love to stay in touch with the foster mom, however, it is not allowed in China to do so. The orphanage will allow us to email them pictures, and we hope that they will be forwarded them to her mom. I just can't imaging the feeling the foster mom and family are feeling right now. Please continue to pray for this family!
We pick up ZhenZhen's passport this afternoon and then catch a flight to Guangzhou. We will have until Friday in Guangzhou before we return to America. (they call it America instead of the US).
Will post more once we get settled in Guangzhou.

Love,
Detra

Our day started out at the Tianjin Zoo. It started out a little chilly and warmed up fast, but it was still coat weather. We saw a lot of the bigger animals; our favorite being the white tiger. A lot of the animal’s homes were pretty smelly, so you’ll see ZhenZhen holding her nose pretty frequently.
Grace then took us to an Asian BBQ buffet. We experienced lamb, beer pickled ox tongue, barbeque squid, beer pickled chicken heart, and fresh prawn. It was really good. The food here has been excellent!!!
Once we got back to our room, I thought I would bring out the picture flash cards. What started out as an English lesson quickly turned into being a Chinese lesson, too. She took over with authority. Once I said the word in English, she would quickly reply in Chinese. I would phonetically write it on the card, then she would take the card I’d written on and examine it thoroughly. If it was a two word phrase and I only wrote one, she would hold up 2 fingers and tell me about it, and then she would take the card over and show BaBa and laugh. We just can’t get over her ability. She signed 1-10 last night and then today wrote her name in Chinese and wrote out 1-10 in English. She is definitely very proud of her knowledge and gets a big kick out of correcting our Chinese. She is a natural teacher. She really is a joy :). We are going to look into enrolling her into a Chinese speaking class somewhere in the Dallas area when we return home. Anyone interested in joining her? We’ve heard that they are on Saturday mornings.
It will be sad to leave ZhenZhen’s city tomorrow. I really dread leaving! We have loved living in this city for the week having walked almost everywhere, which helps after we have eaten so much. We do hope to come back here someday. After reviewing the records, Grace shared with us that she was actually abandoned in a small village about 2 hours from here. She was kept for one month by the people that found her who then realized that she was ill and brought her in for help. She then went into foster care.
We are packing tonight and we went through the sacks that her foster mom sent. You wouldn’t believe all the snacks that she sent ZhenZhen. Zhen Zhen is so proud that her mama sent her all her favorite food and drink. It brought tears to both Rob and me, for having spent the last few days with her, we can only imagine the grief she’s experiencing right now. After we left the orphanage, we asked if there were any baby pictures we could have. The foster mom already brought them to the orphanage, and we’ve received them on our email.
We were given a wonderful gift from this city, one that we will always be thankful for.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…James 1:17
Love,
Detra