Grandma and Grandpa Isler come to visit

Sleep Schedule

So we are beginning to change Abby over to our time zone. She is so cute when she wants to sleep but not when she thinks 2 am is 2 pm! Here she is trying to stay awake during the day. We are watching a lot of our DVDs!

Back Home!

So we are finally back home and Abby is all tuckered out-as are we all!

Here she is asleep at last in the crib we have been praying over for a year.

Now begins the fun of trying to get her sleep clock on San Diego time. I just tried to get her up and she screamed like a banshee so I am going to try again in an hour. Guess I'll call for some pizza!

More photos and videos of Abby being cute

Taipei 101

Here we are at the top of Taipei 101, the talest skyscraper in the world.

Video of Abby

Here is a video of Abby being cute.

Martyr Shrine

Here are some photos of us at the Martyr Shrine.

Quality time

Here we are spending some quality time at the hotel. This is how we spend much of our days.

Trip to the Zoo

We met up with some other Journey's of the Heart families and went to the Taipei Zoo. Here we are with May and her new baby Jay, and Lisa with her husband and Mai and Kai
May's other son Shawn along with Karen and baby Iris

Abby and Jay are sharing a moment

Just a few more photos

Our first car ride

This is a photo of Abby on our first car ride together right after we picked her up.

More photos

Day one with Abby

Well if you have seen the photos you know it happened. We picked up our little girl. It was something amazing. Sort of strange because on the whole 2 and half hour drive over there we weren't nervous at all. Because we felt like we already knew her and there were no surprises. She was our little Abby Heng-Chen.

When we arrived at the home of the foster family she was waiting for us at the door in a stroller. Sara picked her up right away while I was shooting as many photos as I could. I held her next and right away she started smiling. She is just as we pictured her. We even saw that little sideways smile she does. We both sat on couch with her for a photo op and right away she reached over and grabbed Sara's arm. We talked to the foster mom a little about her routines and what she is used to.

We went back to the AIT office and filled out some paperwork. I have no memory of what I was signing because I was captivated by Abby. I could have signed my life away and not known it.　Then we went to a baby store and picked up all of the supplies that she is used to. The people at the store were giving us free stuff because she was so cute. I think she will be getting a lot of that. On the way back to the hotel she slept almost the whole 2 and a half hours. Back at the hotel we played a little on the bed and we realized it was time to feed her.

It was at this point that we realized something else about Abby: she is very inteligent. When we brought out the bottle she realized what was going on. She knew that we were not just a couple of people that she found amusing. She knew that we were the people that were going to be taking care of her now and that her whole world was changing. She knew that she would never again go back to the place that was her home for half of her life. Now everything was different, new smells, sounds, people, clothes. And she bagan to cry. and cry. For so long we didn't even know if she had a voice.

Now we know she can have a big one when she wants to. We thought the neighbors would start switching rooms. We tried everything for the longest time and couldn’t get her to stop. Finally we put her in the Ergo carrier and started walking her around. That did the trick. Now we know the secret.

So since then she has come to trust us more and it is going great. She is so happy and smiley and loves being carried around. We have put a lot miles on our shoes walkign her around town.

The hotel staff is so great. They are like a big family now that we have spent so much time walking in circles in their lobby. One desk worker tried to cheer her up by ringing the desk bell repeatedly. I　don't think it had the effet he was intending.

Anyway, we have had her for only about 24 hours now but it seems like so much longer. Now she acts like she has known us forever. And yes, she is so much cuter in person.

Our new Family!!

No time for details yet but enjoy these!

First day in Taiwan

Here are some photos from our first day.

Made it to Tawian!!

So we made it to Taiwan! We arrived last night and Fion met us and brought us to the Golden China.

A quick pity party: I hate long flights. I especially hate long flights when I have a sinus infection. I especially hate long flights when I have every possible side effect on the amoxicillin bottle! I will say that United has some nice bathrooms where I spent much time! Okay-that’s done. We are so excited to be in Taiwan. We love the hotel. It is uniquely Taiwanese but everyone has been really nice and understanding of our lack of Mandarin.

Today we are going sightseeing with Fion.

Off to Taiwan!

So we fly out tomorrow! After over a year of waiting we will be a family of three very soon. Here are some things to pray for while we're traveling:
Sara has a sinus infection and was given antibiotics at the urgent care on Thursday-pray that the medicine helps quickly and that she doesn't have trouble on the flight
Pray that we are able to make the transition from her foster home easy for Abby.
General travel prayer-Jon may be an experienced world traveler but Sara is quite the "home body" and may be anxious.
That we can find a church for our first Easter as a family-we are excited to meet some Taiwanese Christians!

Thank you to our families and friends who have been so supportive. We will try to post while we are in Taiwan....but no promises!