Twists and Turns

We haven't posted anything over the past few days which is a result of being exhausted and overwhelmed to say the least. Thank Heaven Chloe is with us is all I can say! The girls are so fun and full of energy and most certainly testing their boundaries with us. Shu-Ting particularly has exhibited a strong will that would be hard to trump. They began by wanting us to carry them everywhere (move over Luke!). Shu-Ting is exceptionally tall for her age and weighs approximately 45+ pounds. Dave, Chloe and I would take turns holding her but she is just to heavy to carry very far. When we tell her she has to hold hands and that we can't carry her, she sits down on the ground and refuses to move. If that doesn't have an effect then she will begin the yelling. This is particularly pleasant when we are out in public and everyone is already staring at three blonde Americans with two Taiwanese girls. To make matters worse, Ya-Wen gets involved when she sees Shu-Ting upset and the two girls begin shouting at us in Chinese saying heaven knows what. Everyone around us can understand what they are saying while we are clueless. We are creating a free circus show for anyone in Taipei who wants to observe. Although frustrating, it is a sure sign that the girls have not received consistent, appropriate and loving boundaries or discipline. Dave and I are committed to providing boundaries while showering them with love and affection.

We attempted a trip to the jade and flower markets yesterday. After about 10 to 15 minutes of constant stares, gawking, pointing and whispering towards us and the girls; Dave and I agreed that the public recognition of us was creeping us right out. It was an uncomfortable feeling that did not feel right. Consequently, we turned around and left. Nice cab fare for nothing!!!

We received a call from Sally notifying us that the birth mother of the girls has requested to meet with us on Tuesday morning. We don't quite know what to think of her intentions or how it will impact the girls behavior afterwards but we feel we should accept the invitation to meet her and assure her that we will provide the girls with a healthy, happy and secure life. This all came as a complete surprise to Chung-Yi, Sally and us. We are hoping it will prove to be a positive experience. Another one of the many twists as this whole adoption comes to completion.

We are desperately homesick and wanting to be back with our family. We are running into serious roadblocks with re-scheduling our tickets which is costing us into the thousands and causing us to be unable to all fly home together. Frustrated wouldn't be the half of how we are feeling. The foster Mom's choices have cost us gravely in countless ways.

We attended the English speaking ward today and it was a positive and uplifting experience. One of the families who lives right next to our hotel invited us over for dinner so the girls could play with their children and some toys. It really was a lifesaver on a discouraging day for us.

We have our final appointment with AIT in the morning which will "seal the deal" for getting the girls out of the country. They are so excited to go to America and meet their big brothers. We can hardly wait to get them out of a hotel room and into a home.