Reality Check

As of yesterday we have been with FuMei a full week and I think we are not only fatigued from the travel, but the reality of the changes she brings to our family is coming clearer to all of us, more so now the kids. Please pray as we all adjust to a new family dynamic. Pray for Lynn and I too who are naturally quite focused on FuMei and need to give more attention to the other kids. One of the kids was a bit overwhelmed last night which is not something unexpected. We all feel ready to be home and are not so enthusiastic about more sightseeing. It is too bad the processes are so drawn out. We had a down day yesterday and we are free today apart from a quick trip next door to have FuMei's TB testspot looked at. We don't have anything tomorrow, then an interview on Weds., getting FuMei's visa on Thursday and we are off Friday morning early. At the same time the down time allows for us to go through some of these growing pains together without a lot of other distractions. Thanks for your prayers.

FuMei is interacting freely with all the kids, playing on the beds, playing feet tickling games, talking and laughing a lot. She has such an infectious and sweet chuckle. Yesterday we all had a good hour of fun with the phones between our two rooms. She loves calling and answering and learned a few phrases like, "How are you?" and "My name is FuMei." Her speech has a sing-song quality that is so sweet, adding cute tones and exaggerated inflections that are so delightful. She is able to pronounce things fairly clearly. We think her poor Mandarin pronunciation is not so much because of her cleft as much as from the fact that no one ever worked with her to teach her how to enunciate properly.

It is early and the rest are all still sleeping. Pray we have a good day and find something the other kids can enjoy. We sure appreciate all of you who are playing such a loving role in this journey with us through your prayers. David