China Adoption: We’re Home Home Home!
Roxy is now a citizen of the United States of America!
Our Pastor Dave Finch & My Sister Allison greeted us at SFO
Homecoming Pic 1
Homecoming Pic 2
With Jessi and Elizabeth
So we’re finally home! We’re exhausted beyond belief, and have gone for more than 24 hours with very little sleep, but we’re happy to be home! We woke up at 4am in Guangzhou and left the China Hotel Marriott at 5:45am. Our flight was about 8:30am. We flew from Guangzhou to Beijing on a rather uneventful flight. We had a 4 hour layover in Beijing which wasn’t too bad, especially since I found nice “nursery rooms” where I could change Roxy’s diaper. The flight from Beijing to SFO left at 4pm Beijing time. The flight was about 11 and a half hours which meant that we pretty much got in close to 11:45 am Pacific time. I think the flight was slightly delayed. We basically landed at the time that would have been 24 hours after we first work up the day before (4:45 am Guangzhou time).
We arrived at U.S. Customs and handed the customs agent the packet we were instructed not to open. The Citizenship Act of 2000 decrees that any adoptee under the age of 18 adopted by at least one parent who is a United States citizen who enters the U.S. as a legal permanent resident (green card status) is automatically granted citizenship. So Roxy became a citizen of the United States of America on January 24, 2014. They will mail us her Certificate of Citizenship soon and also her social security card. We’re going to get an attorney to petition our local court to recognize our foreign adoption. The judge should sign the order which would go to the Bureau of Vital Statistics which should generate an official U.S. issued birth certificate. This will be useful when Roxy gets her driver’s license or gets married. But hopefully we should have her birth certificate and passport and everything we need very soon.
Our Pastor, Pastor Dave was there to greet us at the airport along with my sister Ali. We were thrilled to see them. We took some pics and immediately Pastor Dave drove us home. When we got home some of our friends and people from our church were waiting for us. It was a special moment. Roxy handled everything pretty well. She didn’t cry and was like a little owl, gravely observing everything. After everyone left we gave Roxy her first bath at home, (boy does she love her bath toys), and Roxy got to open some presents and play with some of her toys. We went to bed and all of us slept for about 14 hours straight.
Thanks to my friend Elizabeth, we came home to a fridge freshly stocked with all the groceries we would need. Our friends also made us some great food, parmesan chicken, broccoli salad, fruit platter, beef chow fun, and steamed eggs. It was so nice not to have to cook for awhile. My women’s fellowship and women from our church are helping us out with meal deliveries for a awhile as well.
Kenny and I are really overwhelmed by all the support we’ve gotten. I think in the beginning I spent a lot of time trying to justify our adoption and to garner up support. But I’m happy to say there are awesome people in my life who have really stepped up to be there for us. I look at Roxy and I’m amazed each day that I get to be her Mom. I can’t stop looking at her. I love watching her eat, sleep, really do anything. Kenny and I high five each other a lot when she successfully uses the potty. We were tickled to death when Roxy started dancing to one of her musical toys on her very first night home. Enjoy the video!
As we settle into a daily routine here and continue to adjust, I am content, just enjoying each moment and know that God us is using my baby girl and her adoption story to touch the lives of others. This definitely wasn’t easy. Adoption isn’t easy. It’s a lot of paperwork, a lot of anxiety, a lot of waiting, and a lot of “what the heck am I doing” moments. But I can say here and now, seriously, this is the best decision Kenny and I ever made, (along with following God of course). No regrets. God answered our prayers and life is awesome!
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