Terra-Cotta Warriors

Yesterday we went to see the the first Emperor of Qin's terra-cotta army. As with the sightseeing in Beijing, the scale of this project blows my mind. In vault 1 alone, there are over 6,000 warriors. Each and every one unique, representing a specific member of the emperor's army. There are 3 vaults total, each containing soldiers with different military strategy. All were created in an attempt by the emperor to move his earthly empire to heaven.

The warriors were discovered totally by chance. In 1974, a local farmer found pottery fragments while digging a well. Today, the site where the well was dug is marked in vault 1. The well was dug in the extreme south-eastern corner of the vault. A few feet in a different direction and the warriors might still be unknown today. We had an opportunity to meet the farmer who dug the well. He seems to be a hero to the area. His job is to show up every day and pose for pictures and sign autographs. We did both :)

Today is our last day in Xi'an. It is Samuel's capital city so we are thankful for the time we've had, but we are ready to go to Guangzhou. Xi'an is very dirty. The smog limits visibility to just a few blocks. We are ready. We will get Samuel's passport this afternoon and board a plane Guangzhou. Samuel is ours in the eyes of the Chinese government. Now we head to the American consulate to prepare him to become an American citizen.

Samuel is having some good times and some rough times. He slept all the way through terra-cotta warriors. He came back to the hotel and had a major meltdown. Meltdowns can only be expected. Poor guy has had the only life he's ever known turned upside down. The hard part on mama and daddy is that they usually last 2 or 3 hours. He wants to be held, but not touched too much. He wants comfort, just not sure if it should come from us. After the meltdowns, he is usually a pretty happy camper for several hours. He plays with toys, stacks things, hides things, and explores the hotel room. He has slept a TON. This certainly helps mom and dad recover from the screaming fits. He slept 12 hours last night, woke up for about 30 minutes this morning to eat and went right back to sleep. We are not sure if it is the first chance he's had at real deep sleep and he is catching up . . . or if it is a way to deal with the grief. We are certainly anxious about the plane ride this afternoon so thoughts and prayers are welcome :)

One week from the second I am writing this sentence we will be in the air between New York and KC. It has been an exciting journey. We are excited about the stories we will have from Guangzhou. We wouldn't trade the experience for the world. But there's no place like home . . .

Experiencing true Chinese Cuisine

So I'll begin by saying, this blog post is for all of my fellow food lovers. As I began to prepare for our journey to get Samuel, one of the things I was so excited to experience was REAL chinese food. I must say, it has been quite a treat. For those of you who don't know me well, I absolutely love cooking. I love trying new dishes and experimenting with new foods. I can truly say, I will be busy for months after coming home, trying to replicate many of the new tastes and ingredients I have learned about on this trip.

Our first experience of "real" chinese food came on the plane from San Francisco, CA to Beijing, China. We were on a 13 hour flight so we had 2 meals served. The first meal, was a chicken breast with a cheesy rice. We were guessing that was the more American meal.... the second meal served was a choice between hot ham and cheese and chinese noodles. Matt got the American sandwich, I was ready to try my first taste of Chinese as the noodles were what all the Chinese people around me were getting. So, Matt unwrapped his sandwich and began to eat, and I opened my noodles and stirred them around like everyone else. I took a bite..... not what I was expecting. I did not fall in love. In fact, quite the opposite. I took one more bite. Nope. If I were going to survive the rest of the flight, I decided I better cover them up and try to get the smell out of my nose. So I sat and watched Matt eat a very appetizing melted gooey hot ham and cheese.

After a good nights sleep, we awoke and went down to the continental breakfast at the hotel. Ok, I was ready to try again. There was a wide variety of foods to choose from, mostly westernized breakfast, but still different from what we were used to. Our plates were filled with, fried noodles, broccoli, pineapple and fried dough. We also both got yogurt with raisins and muesli, and chinese tea. Now this was a much better experience. While it was interesting eating these foods for breakfast, they were definitely good on the palate. All of our breakfasts since then have been truly amazing and very filling. We only eat twice a day here. After breakfast, we don't seem to get hungry again until 5pm or so. A few of the other unique items for breakfast have been steamed tomato slices with cheese (yummy), bread pudding, the best bacon EVER!!, and one of my new favorites, steamed pumpkin. Very interesting, but all so very good.

In Beijing, Matt was ready for a taste of home, so we ventured out on our own one evening and walked to a nearby Pizza Hut. China has 3 common American eateries, Pizza Hut, KFC, and McDonalds. The pizza was very yummy and was served in the old school deep pan dishes. We made it through that experience quite well knowing absolutely not one word of Chinese and no one else knowing any English.

And so I come to the point where this blog post becomes so exciting to share. When we picked up Samuel, 4 days ago now, we were given the disheartening news that we would not be able to visit his orphanage. We were really, really disappointed. So, now we had 2 free days in a row. As I began to talk with our guide, Krystal, I was telling her how much I would love to know how to fix some authentic Chinese food. She invited us to come to her apartment and said she would show me how to fix Chinese tea and tomatoes with cheese and eggs. I was very excited!! But then, she called us the next day and said she would meet us in the lobby at noon, and that she had talked with a friend of hers who was very touched that we had come to China to adopt a baby. She wanted to have us over to express her thanks, and would show me how to make Chinese dumplings. I was smiling from ear to ear, this was exactly what I had wanted to learn how to make!! So at 12pm yesterday, we all hopped into a cab, and started down the city streets to the muslim village in Xi'an. Let me just say, this was an experience of a lifetime. As the cab dropped us off, we began to walk down narrow streets and through alleyways packed with people. We got lots of stares..... We saw fruit markets, and meat vendors, and street sweepers, and I just could go on and on with all of the sights and smells on that 3 block walk. Krystal stopped at one of the markets to buy some fruit, apples and dragon fruit, and then again at a meat vendor for a cut of beef. Krystal's friends apartment was on the 5th floor, so by the time we walked up all the stairs, as I was carrying Samuel, we were all quite sweaty. We were greeted by Krystal's friend, her precious 1 1/2 year old son, and her mother-in-law. We were taken to the greeting chairs where we sat while they brought in "snacks" for us. They filled a table with fruit and crunchy noodles, chicken feet, chicken, and many little chocolate wafer and rice treats. Wow!!! We just looked at each other, as they told us to try everything. Everything?? Yep, Matt got handed a chicken foot..... well we couldn't be rude.... these people had welcomed us into their home, and we were being treated like royalty!! So Matt took a bite. He didn't make any faces, and he began to take another bite. "You need to try this" he told me. And so I did..... it was good!!! What?!?!?! It was spicy, not much meet to it, but the flavor was really good. And so we began to try just about everything on the table. It was all so very good. The chicken had more flavor than any chicken I've ever had. They steeped some Chinese green tea over their only source of heat, a charcoal burning radiator. It was a little bitter, but good. The mother-in-law and Krystal's friend were working hard in the kitchen. I asked if I could go observe. As I walked in, the kitchen was a very narrow room, probably about 10 feet long by about 4 feet wide. There was a counter and a sink. They were making the dough and the filling for the dumplings. After those were ready, they brought it in to the table where we sat up our assembly, and they began to show me how to roll out the dough, stuff and fold the dumplings. It was so much fun. We talked and shared stories and had a great time. Then it was time to cook them, and then the best part, to eat. AMAZING!!! Matt and I could not believe how incredible this food was. They also served us chinese noodles, and the beef Krystal had bought. It was an unforgettable experience, one I am so thankful to have and will cherish forever.

I'm sure you also want to know a bit about how our Samuel is doing. Yesterday was a turning point. He barely had any crying time, and began to play much more freely. We have been getting more smiles, and some short periods of eye contact. What a change we're already beginning to see in him. It is truly remarkable. This little boy has lost everything he's ever known, yet, is beginning to very slowly open his heart to his mommy and daddy.

Lots of firsts with Samuel

With a new baby, it's always fun to experience all of their firsts; first smiles, teeth, steps. However, usually these firsts happen over a few months, but not when you get your baby at 2 years old. The last 48 hours we have experienced many firsts with our new son. Some remarkably exciting, others are the sad reality of growing up in an orphanage and beginning a new life.

Our first car ride together was pretty special. After only having Samuel in my arms for less than an hour, he laid his head on my shoulder and held on tight for the entire 30 minute ride back to the hotel. This momma was in heaven!

We got back into our room and decided to start peeling off his stinky clothes one piece at a time. As we did this slowly, we sat him on the floor and got out some stacking cups and a book. And then we experienced a first we were not expecting. Our beautiful new baby smiled. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. We had fully expected it may be a few days before he warmed up to us enough to show us anything like this. We cherished that smile, as we weren't sure when the next one would come.

Over the next hour or so, we finally removed all of his clothing, and decided for our sanity, we were going to risk giving our boy a bath. He seriously, may have never had one before this point, but if so, it had been a while. The orphanages have poor heat and most do not have a way to bathe the children. So it is safer for the kids not to be given a bath. So, we put some water in the tub, and Samuel was having his first bath. At first he was a little overwhelmed, but we put his stacking cups in the water, and he begin to have fun. Then came the first splashes, and the bath was a success. We wrapped up our little bundle of joy, and brought him into the bed for some much needed lotioning up. This momma LOVES to lotion up her boys!! Samuels skin was very dry, so he really needed it. Then on to our first time in jammies. He looked so precious toddling around in them.

It was almost time for bed, and I figured Samuel, must be hungry at this point. I had read several blogs from cleft parents before heading to China, and it sounded like to feed, most had success just cutting the end of the nipple of a bottle. Sounded easy enough, until I went to do it.... so I attempted just cutting the tip off of the first one. No... too big. Second try, I snipped the end, thinking as he tried to suck maybe it would just open up a little easier. Again, no. So, I had brought 5 nipples, and I was already down 2. He was pushing the bottle away every time. We tried hot water, warm water, nothing was working. So we decided just to not cut anything and it worked. He only drank 2 ounces, but hey, at least it was something.

So, it was time for our first bedtime. Matt and I were fully expecting to be up most of the night. The nannies told us he was only a moderate sleeper and that he slept from 9:30pm-6am. So at 9:30, we laid him in his bed. He tucked his little legs up underneath him and was asleep in no more than 2 minutes. As every time I have become a mother, I was up through the night every couple of hours to check on him, and every time, I could not believe he had not woken up yet. Our little boy, slept through the entire night, not waking up until 7:05!!! SUCCESS!! He was very hungry when he got up and drank a full 8 ounces while letting me feed him. We had been told he would only drink his bottle in his bed laying down by himself. So it was a good surprise when he wanted me to hold his bottle while snuggling in my lap.

My favorite first thus far followed our first successful full bottle. He snuggled in and fell asleep on my chest. For those of you who do not know, my very favorite part of motherhood is snuggling with my boys. At home every morning, Micah and Elijah come crawl in my bed and we snuggle before the day begins. And I now know, I have a third, very good snuggler. I cherished the next hour and a half as my newest baby slept soundly on my chest. I was able to learn the creases of his face, and study his finger and toes. What a special little boy God has blessed us with.

Monday was full of paperwork to complete the adoption on the China end of things. It was a very long day for us and for Samuel. Samuel handled it like a champ until the end of the day at the police station. He was over it. And so we experienced our first, full out tantrum. It was very loud, and very continuous. It lasted over 3 hours when all was said and done. But then, he was ready to play again.

Daddy decided it was time for him to have some play time on the floor, so I pulled out the camera and was able to catch a very special moment. Samuel began to roll the ball back and forth. It was such an encouraging moment for us. He was beginning to bond. We all 3 sat on the floor and played for such a long time. It was wonderful.

Today we have stayed in the hotel the entire day. It began with about an hour and a half of crying and grief for our poor little man. So many things have changed for him in the last 48 hours. He has lost everything he's ever known. However, he is beginning to open his little heart to us, and we are pouring out ours to him. He has smiled a lot today and has began to giggle. It's precious, and we are so in love with him.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading our blog, and for the outpouring of love, prayers and support. We read each and every comment on the blog and on Facebook. We appreciate and love all of you, and can't wait to share Samuel with you.

The Mangels 5

The day we have hoped and prayed for, the day we had (not) patiently been waiting for, the day that almost a year of paperwork has led up to . . . has finally come. Today Samuel is with his family.

Our day started off early. The alarm was set for 4am. We had a flight to catch. This morning we flew from Beijing to Xi'an. Our flight was at 7:45am. Our guide picked us up at 5:30am. Fog delayed our flight for about an hour, but 2 hours after we finally took off, we landed in Xi'an. Xi'an is the capital city of Samuel's province. We will be here until Friday when we leave for Guangzhou.

We found our new guide at the airport and after we loaded up, we drove for about an hour to our hotel. Our hotel is VERY nice. Xi'an seems busier than Beijing. It is very dirty. Lots of smog. Traffic is overwhelming. So many cars, bicycles, motorcycles, and pedestrians it seems like it is just chaos. There must be some type of flow though, because in so much chaos somehow we don't see accidents.

We got checked in to our hotel and got a few minutes to rest. Our guide told us Samuel would be at the Civil Affairs office at 3:30pm. He had a 2 hour ride in from his city. We arrived before Samuel at the Civil Affairs office. While we waited, it was neat to sit and watch other families meet their children for the first time.

Finally it was our turn. In walked Samuel in the arms of one of the nannies and he was not a happy camper! It's no wonder. This was probably the first time he left the orphanage. Probably his first car ride (that's enough to make me want to cry. It is so stop-and-go crazy driving that we have to take dramamine). There were lots of people in a few small rooms at the Civil Affairs office. The nanny handed Samuel to Amy. He was crying a lot but he held on tight. At one point during paperwork the nanny was going to hold Samuel, but he turned in to Amy so he didn't have to go back to the nanny. It breaks my heart to think about why he would turn away from a familiar nanny and turn in to a stranger . . . but it was also a very neat moment. Samuel held tight to his momma.

We were able to ask a few questions. Some felt like generic answers. Others were documented. We learned that Samuel was found at a hospital. This not only helped Amy and I, but it may also help Samuel someday. His biological mother cared enough for him to make sure that he was safe. What safer place is there for someone than a hospital. I'll never know Samuel's biological mother, but I am grateful for her decisions. There are many decisions she could have made that would cause this story to have a very different ending. I don't know any of the details of her life. I don't know any of the circumstances surrounding her decision to let Samuel go . . . but I am learning to see her differently.

Samuel cried continuously for the first 2 hours. Not hysterically, but constant. We tried formula, we tried food, we tried rocking. In the end, toys prevailed. We brought stacking cups and a texture book. Both were a hit. Amy and I weren't necessarily included in the play (although we tried), but we caught him several times peeking at us out of the corners of his eyes. He played for probably an hour and then cried some more. We gave him a quick bath. Most children don't get baths in orphanages. I've heard it's because they aren't well heated and the idea is it's better to suffer the consequences of no baths than to suffer the consequences of a cold wet child. I don't know if it is that, or a simple lack of resources. But bottom line, our cutie was stinky. Really stinky. So he got his first bath and got all lotion'd up and smelling like a baby. He got out of the bath and played with his cups again, this time on our bed. Amy was exhausted. She decided to try to put him in his crib to see what would happen. Without a peep, he was out like a light in 2 or 3 minutes. We looked at each other in disbelief and just smiled :)

We were both very impressed with Samuel developmentally. He is no doubt behind, but not as bad as we had prepared ourselves. He is very curious and explores like crazy. He is pretty skinny and consequently is pretty weak. As his diet improves, we expect his muscle tone to improve. I think that now that he will have the opportunity to, he will blossom. He hasn't started much eye contact, although we catch him every once in a while. We've even seen a few small smiles. His cleft doesn't seem to be crazy wide, however his gum line is almost growing forward (so his front teeth point out). I have absolute trust in the surgeons who will repair Samuel's lip. But this protective daddy is concerned how others will see him. I am excited to see his lip transform, but I can already tell you that I'm gonna miss that tongue pushing through that cleft. It's really cute.

Today was such a special day. Today is Samuel's Gotcha Day. January 27th is the day we Gotcha. We love him like crazy.

We can't wait to see what special plans God has for Samuel Mangels.

Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and the Great Wall

Today was a really busy day! Our guide picked us up at 9am and we were off.

We started the day off at Tiananmen Square. First thing I noticed was the scale. This place was huge and it set the tone for the day. All three stops I can remember thinking "I can't believe how big this place is". I was surprised how busy the square was. The high today was 30 degrees, so it was no doubt colder than that when we were there. Our guide said it was not even comparable to how much more crowded it is during the summer months. It was also here at the square that I noticed that no matter how cool the tourist attraction was, there was always time to stare at the white couple :) There were other white people there (though very, very few) so I don't know if it was like "hey, look at the all the white people" or "hey, look at those big white people". Nonetheless, it wasn't offensive or anything, it was fun to just smile at them. Starting tomorrow it will be something like "hey, look at those big white people with that cute little Asian boy" :)

After Tiananmen Square, it was across the street to the Forbidden City. Walking through gate after gate, I just couldn't believe the size of the place. Furthermore, I couldn't picture how on earth it was built over 600 years ago without modern machinery. It was around this point that I began to realize how cool it is to have a civilization that dates back several thousand years. Our national treasures and cultural relics are a couple hundred years old at best. We have native American history past our own . . . but to see and hear about the kind of history here is China is just amazing.

Our last stop was the Great Wall. Another marvel. It was impressive, it was mind-boggling, and it was steep! We started the climb up to the top of the portion of the wall we were touring. When we reached the first tower our guide looked at his watch and said "it is 1:30pm, I will meet you at the van at 3:00pm". He wasn't having any part of the climb so we were on our own. It was fun. There are towers all along the wall. We'd climb to one and stop and sit and try to decide if we should keep going. The higher we went the less people we saw. Our competitive streak came out when neither of us wanted to be the one that said they needed to turn around so . . . we ended up climbing all the way to the top. It took us an hour to climb to the top, and 30 minutes to get down. We got to the van at 3:02pm. Our legs were quivering, our knees hurt, but we made it. I told Amy I didn't fly all the way to China and come all the way to the Great Wall to say that I only climbed part of it.

We got back to the hotel at 4:00pm. Amy had been talking about getting a massage in China for weeks, so we went to the hotel spa and both relaxed. It was well earned after the Great Wall. We went across the street and had Pizza Hut for dinner. A good old pepperoni pizza and we called it a day. Amy crashed fast, I'm headed that way after this post. The time change has treated us well. Not sure if we got lucky or if it takes a few days to really feel the effect.

Tomorrow is the big day! Tonight is the last night Samuel will ever spend without a family. Never again will he be alone. Tomorrow he will begin to see what it is like to be loved. No more forgotten birthdays. No more un-celebrated milestones. Tomorrow there will be one less orphan in the world. Samuel will be a Mangels.

Ni hao from Beijing!

Good morning from Beijing! We arrived safely last night after a LONG day of travel. Did I say it was LONG? But we are safe and we had no problems so we are thankful for that.

We quickly found our guide at the airport and she had us to the hotel shortly after. After getting loaded into the van, she looked at Amy and I and asked if she could ask a personal question. Figuring it couldn't be too bad we agreed. She nervously asked "Are you Christian?". We smiled and said yes and she smiled with relief. She went on to tell us that she gets very excited for Chinese children who go to Christian homes. She was relieved that Samuel would grow up and learn about his Savior.

It was about 5pm by the time we got settled in (3am KC time). Needless to say we were exhausted and were both crashed by 7pm and slept til about 30 minutes ago. It is about 6:30am Saturday morning as I writing this (4:30pm Friday KC time). So we are off to a pretty good start with the time change.

We are headed down to breakfast now. Today we will get to see the Great Wall, the Forbidden CIty, and Tiananmen Square. So the next post will hopefully have some great pictures.

I attached two pictures. Both are from our hotel window. We are on the 10th floor. One picture would have been enough, but somebody spotted a Starbucks and insisted I post that too :)

We are in CHINA! I still can't believe it. We couldn't be more excited. We saw a little boy on the plane into Beijing that was about Samuel's size. During the long flight he would walk laps up and down the isles with his mom. We couldn't help but smile every time we saw him and think how close we are to having Samuel.

We are so excited and thankful to be on this journey. Thank you for sharing it with us. Until next time . . .

5am....We meet again!!

As I said goodbye to my boys last night, there were so many emotions; sadness, as I have never been away from either of them for more than 3 days; excitement, knowing that the next time I see them I will have their little brother in my arms; and amazement, watching God's plan unfold for our family right before my very eyes.

Matt slept for 3 hours, however my mind was racing, so I decided not to even attempt to lay down. Instead I kept myself busy. Checking my packing list a few times to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything and then making sure the house was clean so I didn't have to worry about anything but enjoying my boys upon our return.

At 5am, Matt's grandpa pulled into the driveway to take us to the airport. I have been thinking about this for the last few days. Every time we have left our house to bring a new little boy into our family we have left at this same time. So, Samuel, you're following right in line with your brothers. However, you have the trump on longest amount of travel and time to get you.

The feelings driving to the airport were exactly the same as driving to the hospital. Excitement to see Samuels little face, and learn every crease and perfect feature unique to him. To make sure that he's ok, and that longing to hold your baby for the very first time.

Oh Samuel, your dad and I have prayed for you for so long. We are so ready to hold you, teach you about love and family, and most importantly that you have a Savior in Heaven that had us in mind to be your mommy and daddy even before you were born. We will be there oh so soon!!!

To our family and friends, thank you for sharing this journey with us. We will be traveling for the next 24 hours, so the next time we post we will be in Beijing, China, and one step closer to our little boy!!!

Here we go!

Well . . . here we go.  In less than three days Amy and I begin traveling to the other side of the world to meet the newest member of our family, Samuel.  It's a trip that we have been thinking and dreaming about for almost a year.  We submitted an application to adopt to Children's Hope International the first week of February 2012.  We will return from China with our third son, the first week of February 2013.  Just one day more than a year exactly.  We couldn't be more excited to fold Samuel into the love of our family.

Those who know me well know I love technology.  I work with technology everyday however, I have to admit . . . this is my first blog post . . . ever.  Amy will be blogging here too and she's a newbie just like me.  I'm not sure how good of a read it will be.  And to be honest, I am not sure how much we'll blog after we get home from China.  But for now, this medium seems fitting.  We will be in China for two weeks.  There is a 14 hour time difference from Kansas City.  Blogging will allow us to share a portion of our journey with the huge support system we have at home without waking them up at 2am.  But more importantly, it will help Amy and I document this journey . . . a part of Samuel's story.  One day he may think back to life before he knew he was a Mangels.  There will only be so much I can tell him with certainty about his first two years of life.  But I will be able to tell him how we would think about him and pray about him, even before we knew his name or saw his face.  And maybe someday he will pull up this blog and read a part of his story as it was told to the family and friends that love him so much.

There it is.  I am an experienced blogger now.  Amy's turn will be soon.  If you are reading this, we are honored that you took the time to follow Samuel's story.  We have been blown away by the outpouring of support for our family and for a little man who no one has met yet.  And if this is Samuel reading this . . . 10, 15, 20 years from now . . . your mom and I love you very much.  We loved you before you knew it, before we even met you.  We are so glad that God chose us to be your mom and dad.

For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him.  --1 Samuel 1:27