The team is on the ground

We are now all in Shanghai. Darla tangled with some nasty storms to get in but arrived safely at about 9 pm last night. She was met at the airport by Gongzhan, while Erin was met by our Shanghai contact.

Although jet lag is keeping me up at 2 am, I have taken this opportunity to look over all the pictures of children from Shanghai. Every one of them is so beautiful and I will miss this quiet, precious moment I am sharing with these photos. We are so excited and can't wait until tomorrow!

We arrive with gifts and wishes!

Greetings from Shanghai Chin! Chelsea and I survived the 15 hour flight by watching plenty of movies, sleeping, walking, stretching and of course, drinking lots of water. We were met at the airport by our contact at the Shanghai Children’s Home and chatted the whole way to the hotel. We are now trying to get acclimated. A shower, a walk and a bowl of noodles for dinner have all helped.  

We are looking at all the things we have brought for the children, which include balloons, sensory brushes, developmental toys, balls, bubbles, crayons and paper, profile sheets, and a scroll made by children in a Families with Children from China group. We also have a collection of wishes that children who were adopted wrote for the kids who are still waiting...kind of like an adoption fortune cookie. A quilt (almost 5 x 8 feet!) of pictures that children who were already adopted made to remember the kiddos that still wait. We will present this quilt to the CCCWA to let them know that we appreciate their work, but also to remember all those kids that still wait. Now I know why my suitcase was overweight!

The one thing we cannot bring these kids is the joy of having a forever family. But, we may help some parents get to know these children a little better and hopefully fall in love with them. 

Before I get some rest tonight, I want to leave you with a few wishes written for waiting children by children who already got their dream.

"I wish everyone has a family "

Her sister, also a China adoptee, wrote,

"I wish for people adopting kids"

I agree. Those are my wishes tonight too. Let’s all dream about that.

Next Stop -- China!

This suitcase holds the hopes and dreams of over eighty kids in China. So ready or not, here we come!

Shanghai Kiddos --- Watch the Miracle!

Here is the reason we all do what we do - the kids! Erin Martin and I were so inspired by a video we saw of pre and post adoption pictures put together by an adoptive mom that Erin created a wonderful video of children adopted from Shanghai. You can see how these kiddos change with the love of a forever family - look at their eyes. They are loved and happy.

Thank you to Erin and all the families who shared their children's pictures. Heartwarming images for everyone from Shanghai to you... 

Here is the link: Watch the miracle.

We are almost there.

Today is the day to stress out over  what I will forget.  Will it be my tooth brush, the camera or something else?  As long as I arrive at the airport with my passport and the profile sheets for the developmental screenings, it will be a successful trip.  So here we go.  we are all excited.  The entire team just wants to hug some babbies, hold some hands and play with some older kiddos.  We have been preparing for this trip for a very long time.   We are Just ready to work with the kids.   So  a quote to close. 

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step-  Lao-tzu.

Boy can you say that again.  Can't wait.

Peace,

Pat

Only three more night’s sleep at home

Who could believe our trip would be here so fast?  Three more nights and we will leave for China.  Wow!  I can close my eyes and picture myself there.  This weekend, we all focused on final preparations including packing our suitcases.  Mine contains 80 profile sheets that will be filled with information about waiting children.

These children will be beautiful, unique and all waiting for their forever families.  Some will be girls, but many will be boys.  A large percentage of the shared list is boys.  This year, Superkids is going to highlight many beautiful children.  We are also going to highlight the problem that being a boy is a special need, in China it makes you less likely to be adopted.  The sad fact is, the girls on the list are picked first and the boys remain on the list for a long time.  So, I would like to share this goal with you all: we want every child to find a Mom, Dad and family to love them forever!  Boys, girls, older, younger, large special needs or small ones.  They all need families.

You can participate in this trip by advocating for these beautiful children.  Share information about these kiddos; put the link to our Superkids blog on your blog, or Facebook page.  Talk about waiting children.  Join us in our journey and our goal of forever families for all the children!

Itineraries Received!

Everyone on the Superkids team received the trip itinerary last night.  Final preparations are taking place.  Erin has collected a special slide show of before and after pictures from parents who have adopted from Shanghai Children's Home.  Developmental toys are arriving daily to my house.  There is just excitement in the air.

All for the children.  We may screen as many as 80 children.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if all 80 found their forever families?  We plan to reach out and help many more.  We are reminded that the greatest gift for a child is a loving home.  A Mom, Dad and loving family.  Our greatest hope is that all the children we meet find their forever families.  For those who don't, we love them, hold them and play with them.  They are in our hearts. 

So get ready kiddos, here we come!  Everyone, please step forward, make a difference, spread the word.  There are beautiful amazing children just waiting for their forever family to find them.