#Miller6Pack

GRAFTING: verb   (used   with   object) 1. to   insert   (a   graft)   into   a   tree   or   other   plant;   insert   a   scion   of   (one   plant)   into  another   plant. 2. to   cause   (a   plant)   to   reproduce   through   grafting . 3. Surgery.   to   transplant   (a   portion   of   living   tissue,   as   of   skin   or   bone)   as   a  graft. 4. to   attach   as   if   by   grafting Gia has been a Miller for 1 month. During that time, a lot of grafting has been going on. In the adoption world, you hear a lot about "grafting." I think several of the definitions above fit with the process we are experiencing right now. I'm sure that poor Gia has felt as though her heart has been literally cut out of her body, ...

It was about a week ago that I sent out a prayer SOS via Facebook for our Gia. She was grieving inconsolably one night, and we just didn't know what to do for her. Poor baby! We've had some great, relatively grief-free days ever since then. But I know that her grief is just beneath the surface, and I expect it to come out at almost any moment. It's not that we expect Gia's grief to be over and done with in the blink of an eye. Quite the contrary. We know that her grief is a process that we--especially SHE--must go through. But I will admit that I was not expecting her grief to surface the way it did this morning. She awoke quite chipper, with that million dollar smile. She was "being silly" at breakfast (which we think is her way of showing us that she's getting more and more comfortable in our family), and she was eating like a champ. We found an old plastic princess "cell phone" a few days ago, so this morning Simon put some new batte...

After more than two weeks and over 15,000 miles and.....  it could have been easy to miss. Without all that context, it was nothing overly significant. Our new daughter was merely still misunderstanding this strange babbling that came from our mouths, and taking a cue from her bath and teeth brushing session, she just assumed it was time for bed next right? That is what my jet lagged, food poisoned, road weary brain settled on initially. "Should we let her go to bed?" I asked my wife. We both agreed that we didn't have much of a choice. I would then get yet another display of my wife's amazing unconditional, sacrificial love, as she sat beside the bottom bunk, to provide comfort for Gia Pearl ChunYu as she drifted to sleep, for the first time in her new bed, in her new home. (I purposely didn't use house) This act would have been heart-moving in itself, but I left out the fact that my wife has the same jet lagged, road weary symptoms as I do, plus one of the wo...

Our last breakfast/meal in China So many blogs the last two weeks, then nothing for 3 days. Strange since we are finally home right?  It really is the ultimate irony. This is our 3rd adoption from China and we have experienced so much, but we also knew to expect the unexpected. We went into this 3rd adoption on large doses of Faith, but also relied on our vast experience, and all the things we've learned "on the job" as parents. Thanks to technology and social media, we have networked with many sources of information in preparation for this 3rd trip to our 2nd home of sorts, China. We've learned to be parents of an 11 month old, in the largest city in China, with no family or friends around to help. We've endured a heart breaking Gotcha Day,  lovingly restraining a frightened and hysterical 4 year old until she was too tired to resist our love. On this trip we even had our hearts taken to the edge of what we could bear, knowing that God wouldn't give us m...

How's this for a soft top?  We are huge fans of the show "The Amazing Race," that features teams of 2 people traveling around the world in a race, competing in a variety of challenges while desperately trying to avoid being last to arrive at a pit stop. I thought I'd expound more on that theme later, but I can't resist introducing today's post, our last from the city of Guangzhou, in the birth country of our daughters, China, in Amazing Race fashion. Just imagine as if Phil Keoghan was giving a trip summary (as of tonight) for us. (we still have a couple shuttle rides and 2 flights left!) Miller family, over 13 days, 5 cities, 3 flights, 2 Train rides, multiple bus/van commutes, 4 separate Hotel stays, redemptive reunions, heartbreaking goodbyes, Medical exam, River Boat Cruise, US Consulate Appt, trip to the zoo, and so much more. I'm pleased to tell you, you are officially winners of the #journeytogia Amazing gRace.  It really has been a blur, if...

The Gs in their matching outfits, ready for the Pearl River Cruise Whew. What a day it has been. (seems like we keep saying that!) Our guide, Simon, said this evening, when explaining some facts about Guangzhou, that it was like a "Visa Vacation," in Guangzhou for adoptive families, because this is where the US Consulate is and getting everything processed (Visa, Medical, etc) usually takes about 7 days. In many ways Simon was right, because Guangzhou is a beautiful, modern city. We also stay at a very nice hotel, so in some ways it can feel like a vacation. But these amenities are necessary too, because adoptive families and children are in the very early, and critical phases of attachment. It is a crucial start to being a forever family, and establishing strong attachments and trust. We were all a bit on edge this morning because our U.S. Consulate appointment was the first time slot. That meant getting everyone up extra early, so we could get a quick breakfast then t...