It's Official - The Goodrich Family has Another B !!

Today, we officially gained another B! Xi Ji Hao is now Brock Ji Hao Goodrich. We are so privileged to be this amazing little guy's family. I sat back and watched with a full heart as three of my four kids were interacting and getting to know each other in the hotel room today. I realized that a piece of my heart had been unsettled for a long, long time, and today, I finally feel whole. It's almost like I can now move on with my life...does that make sense to any of you other adoptive parents????


We are all head-over-heels in love with this little man. He has been so courageous, happy, and loving. His face is always alight with a smile, and he endures with total patience all the running around this can't-sit-still family does. Today, he repeatedly said, "Baba/Mama/JieJie/ GeGe, wo ai ni" (daddy/mommy/big sister/big brother, I love you). Oh my goodness...does life get any better than this?? We are well aware that there is often a "honeymoon" period when adopting an older child, and that less-than-desirable behaviors can follow a period of calm. Whether or not this is such a period, we are still so thankful that he appears to be adjusting so very well. If this is our honeymoon, I'm glad it is happening while we are in China. We'll be much better equipped to handle any post-honeymoon behaviors when we are settled in at home.


Brock Ji Hao fell asleep right away last night and slept all through the night without waking. He woke up sometime after 6:00 am, but played quietly in his bed until Max got up. What a blessing!


We left for the Civil Affairs Office at 8:30 this morning to do the paperwork and protocol necessary for the official adoption of Brock Ji Hao. The Wuxi orphanage director was there again today, and Brock looked somewhat sullen and confused. The director spent a long time talking with him. I would have loved to be able to understand what he was saying. The director seems like a very mild, sincere, and kind man. When it was time to say good-bye to him, Brock, for the first time since we met him, looked like he was bordering on tears. I, of course, started crying, realizing how difficult this must all be for our sweet son. He never did shed any tears, and he perked right up once we started walking to the van. I am so amazed at his courage, and I praise God for preparing his little heart for his new family and home. Thursday, we will take the three hour drive to Wuxi to visit the orphanage. We'd so appreciate your prayers on this day, as I'm sure it will be emotional for all of us. We think it is extremely important that we see where our son has spent his life, and equally important for him to say good-bye to his friends and caretakers.

Talking with the orphanage director

Making things official

Once we returned from the Civil Affairs Office, our guide took us to some near-by shops to bargain for "rainflower terrace pebbles". These are colorful rocks taken from the Yangtze River near Nanjing. Their colors "come to life" when they are put in water. Truthfully, these look like any other colored rocks you can find in the States, but because they are "so special", they charge 1 US dollar for each small rock...ouch! I'm trusting that these rocks are truly from the Yangtze River, and if that is truly the case, then they are rather "special" to us.


After rock shopping, we spent some time just hanging out in the hotel room coloring, doing a puzzle, and playing Game Boy. Then, we took a taxi to the Xinjie Kou Square, where upscale store after store can be found. We really went there to find a Starbucks, and sure enough, we did! Nothing makes you feel like home more than Starbucks (except maybe my good ole Rascal Flatts songs on the i-pod). It was raining hard when we left the Square, and we had to wait in a L O N G line for a taxi back to the hotel. Poor Brock Ji Hao -- he must be concerned that his life will always be this crazy!













When we finally returned all wet and soggy, I helped Brock get a bath. He loves a bath, and it seems like he may have never been in a bathtub before. He is so interested in the faucet and the drain. He also played forever with the little rubber ducky the hotel left for him. He gets so excited to do routine tasks, like brushing his teeth. He is independent and fast at all he does. Remember the "lively, energetic, and fast" description of him? You can most definitely see that that is true - A perfect match for this family!

Our "luxurious 5 star hotel" (???)

My Chinese Breakfast

Scenes from this morning's breakfast...

Again, thank you so much for all of your e-mails and comments. They spur us on and give us confidence that there are prayers going up to heaven on our behalf. You are all cherished!

Goodnight, from Nanjing!