Tuesday, January 6, 2009

PEOPLE'S PARK AND A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR LILY

Today was another beautiful and amazing day here in China. Halainah is still the happiest baby I know. She was a little cranky this morning as I had to wake her up because she was still sleeping. She just wanted to be held for about 2 hours. But after that she went back to being happy and playful and jumping and singing.

We went to People's Park today which was absolutely gorgeous. There were locals exercising, playing instruments and dancing. The parks here in China have exercise equipment for the adults and children to play on.

On the bus ride home from the park, Jiu Jiu Bobby held Halainah in the front of the bus and Tony and I sat in the back. I looked over and an unbelievably awesome feeling filled my heart. I leaned over to Tony and said, do you remember whenever we were out back at home we would see parents holding their babies and we would always say, why not us, I wish that were us? Well I looked at my brother and knew that he was holding our daughter. I just lost it and started to cry, she is ours and nobody can take her away from us. What an awesome feeling and we thank God for his MANY blessings.

This evening we went out to eat to celebrate Lily's birthday. She is another little girl that is part of our group. She turned 1 today. Well our guide planned a big birthday bash with presents, cake, singing and just enjoying a wondrous moment with new friends that we hope to stay in touch with. They have been a great support system while here in China and we are so fortunate to have met them. And their daughter Lily is so darn cute.

We are exhausted again, our days are so jammed packed with things to do. Halainah loves so much. It is a great joy to see her so happy. She loves to eat, play, talk, and cuddle. The only thing she hates is the bath as you will see in a picture. But I guess I can't have everything, right? We are so in love with our beautiful daughter and cannot wait to experience many firsts with her. She had a rough time going to sleep tonight as she ate way too much birthday cake. It was a lesson learned for me. Only a few small bites of cake for our little angel.

She is whimpering in her crib right now so I am going to comfort her. Tomorrow we are going to visit the countryside here in China. It should be fascinating. Well over and out from China until tomorrow. Love to all and we miss everyone. Keep the comments coming. We love hearing from everyone following our journey. It makes us feel closer to home.























15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dee, don't worry cassy does not like baths either. We just make them short and sweet marking sure we get all 2000 parts.
Even crying Halainah is a cutie. We can not wait to see her and play to gether. All the pictures are beautful and I am so glad you have a support system there that you can lean on. You will learn quickly what not to give Halainah. We gave Cassy just a little icecream on Sunday she was bouncing for about 2hrs. God bless you and keep you safe. All our Love.
A. Deb

Anonymous said...

D, That second to last picture is funny :-) Just wait until you get the " I just ate cake and smeared it on my face" photos :-) It is wonderful you have other families over there to experience this with and I am sure you all will share a bond and keep in touch. I am always excited to wake up and read your blog (I think Mark is actually enjoying it as well). Hope to see you sometime in the Spring! -Kate

Anonymous said...

She looks like she is having so much fun with all of you. I love her eating the noodles! If she doesn't like the bath. try taking her in the shower with you and when she is clean pass her off to Tony. When Elise was little she liked the shower better than the bath tub.Looks like she loves her Uncle Bobby. I hope that you get some rest today!
Gem

The Godparents said...

This will make you laugh...
... uncle mario wants you to check to make sure that she is really chinese and not italian... the way she eats noodles!
We love you lots and just can't wait til you get home!
Love,
Aunt Bonnie & Uncle Mario

LivingSimply, SimplyLiving said...

Hey guys..you all look like you are having an incredible time..Your smiles are so big and that is SO NICE to see..Have LOTS more fun. Kiss our neice...
Lots of Love,
Annmarie, Tommy and the Gang...

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Mom and Dad! She is beautiful!
Stop the sight seeing and get home already so Cindy and I can meet your baby.
Jeffrey

Anonymous said...

Congrats! She is so cute! I told you she was not going to like the bath! LOL I can't wait until you guys get home and I can see all of you! Get home safe!
Liz

Anonymous said...

Uncle Klaus and I read the blog and look at the pictures every day! China looks so beautiful! We can't wait to meet our great niece!!!!

Anonymous said...

ooops, somehow I was logged on as Sultana!!
Aunt Ann

Anonymous said...

Ni hao-Jiu Jiu,Deanna,Tony,Halainah
HOW ARE MY FAVORITE SON & DAUGHTER DOING?--GREAT PICTURES--KEEP THEM COMMING!IT'S REALLY GREAT TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW YOUR JOURNEY WITH THIS BLOG.

Ni hao--To my favorite son-in-law,
An dong ni.

Love you all--ba ba

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm.... Looks like Halainah really likes those noodles... Just let us know when she's ready to visit the all-you-can-eat buffet... I'll show her how fast I can slurp down noodles too! :)

Love the pics, especially the bath ones. LOL

Love,
Jamie

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on being proud parents. I have been following your fantastic journey and Halainah is getting more beautiful everyday if that's posssible. Sorry I didn't call you before you left but you were constantly on my mind. Can't wait to see the three of you. May God's love continue to bless you and keep you safe. Say hello to Bobby, too.

All my love,
Aniko

Anonymous said...

Photos are absolutely wonderful - hope Halainah has gone to sleep by now - would think she is a tired little girl, with all the action in her life in the last few days. Uncle Bobby is doing so well with her, you may encourage him to apply for the nanny position -
Ha!Ha!

Also wanted you to know it took your Dad 3 hrs to write the previous message sent - he is really progressing with his Chinese (up to 3 words now) -
Ha! Ha!

Love You Guys - be safe!

Joyce

Anonymous said...

Hi Deanna & Tony,
Congratulations does not cover the happiness I feel for you guys. You've been blessed with such a beautiful little girl. I'm so happy for you both...and moreso for Halainah. She's so lucky to have two loving parents like you. So amazing!!!
I hope the rest of your trip is just as amazing. And Tyson and I wish you the all the best with the rest of your journey, both in China and the one you will continue forward with as you now live as "Mom and Dad".
All our best,
Jackie & Tyson

Anonymous said...

hi deanna anthony, halainah & jui jui, I'm having a great time following your blog. You all look so happy. Ofcourse, it's inevitable that babies get sick, , but this is one of the processes of parent, child bonding. This whole event has been so rewarding to follow, it makes everyone feel as part of your experience. We look forward to seeing you soon, love , Roseann & Joe