LIFE AFTER 18 SECONDS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY MOST BEAUTIFUL MIRACLES!!

2011-11-14T10:37:00.032-05:00

Halainah has been waiting not so patiently for weeks now for her "Bounce Party." She would wake up every morning and say..."is it my party today Mommy." So when she woke up on Saturday and asked the same question she has been asking for weeks, and I actually said "Yes", she flipped out. "Really Mommy?" "Really it's my party today?" "I am so excited!!"

We had a combined party this year. Since Ava's birthday was on September 14th...just days after we returned from China...and coming home to a complete flooded mess...we just could not wrap our minds on a party for her at that time. So...it worked out nicely to just have the girls birthday party together. Ava is still too young to have known any differently.

Ava is not the same "fragile" little girl we met in China. She is a spunky, energetic, fearless, forceful, determined little bugger. She may be tiny...but she is mighty in her personality. She has NO fear. None whatsoever. She will climb to the top of anything and laugh while doing it. She runs circles around her big sister. Lainey doesn't like heights...Ava craves them. They are complete opposites. She will go to anyone and she is always smiling. What a difference a few months can make along with a stable environment and loving family.

Halainah turns 4 on November 16th and Ava is 2. We had their party at a giant bounce place where there were slides and tons of inflatables to jump on or play basketball or rock climb. Halainah was all over the place...I had a hard time keeping track of her. I think her mouth hurt from smiling so much. And Ava was so happy to be able to just run and climb and bounce. She never gets tired this one!! We are so thankful to everyone that shared in their special day this year!!

It was hard to get a lot of pics since none of the kids stayed still for more than 2 seconds...but I got a few!!

So here is a group shot of some of our family and friends. Not everyone is pictured and not everyone cooperated!!

This picture cracks me up!! Uncle Joe is running after cousin Vincent who was headed straight for the slide again!!

Cousin Vincent not so happy!He loved this car! Lainey loves Vincent. A week or so ago they were sitting on the couch holding hands for at least 15 minutes watching cartoons...so cute!!
One of the bouncers.
One of the rooms. There were two rooms that we were able to play in...this was the first.

Cousin Cassandra going down the slide!

Lainey's turn!!

Lainey going down one of the huge slides with Chris! She would not go down herself.

It must have been fun by the look on her face!

This is the same huge slide...notice that Ava does not have anyone with her....NO FEAR!!

She kept turning onto her stomach on the way down...wish I captured the huge smile on her face!

Aunt Annmarie and Ava!

Ava loved the car too!

Cousin TJ with cousin Vincent!

Cake time!! Ok so we had a little issue with the candle. So it has been tradition since we had Lainey's first birthday to use the lotus flower candle from China. So this candle traveled all the way back with us. Well it wouldn't open once it was lit. One of the workers kept saying he was scared because it was smoking so bad!!

But it finally opened...thank goodness!

And it was beautiful!!

Lainey's dinosaur cake since she loves them so much!

Ava was so cute! She blew out her candles and was so happy that everyone clapped for her!!

Gift time!!

It was such a special day!! Happy Birthday Halainah Grace Qinyang and Ava Maria Huixue...Mommy and Daddy love you all the way to Jesus's house and back!!

Halloween

2011-11-09T23:30:00.011-05:00

Halloween this year was so special as I was able to take both of my daughters trick-or-treating...Halainah was Snow White and Ava was a peacock. Halainah had a blast. And Ava was overwhelmed. She sort of had a hard time grasping the concept. She thought every treat that went into her bag was a treat that she had to eat that very moment. And she is a feisty little bugger. So when she has her mind set on something, she will fight until she gets it. I need to do an Ava update very soon...she has come a long way and we are very proud of her.

Life has been super busy. We are still dealing with our flood situation. We have so much that still needs to be done but can't until we receive our flood settlement...whenever that will be. It has just been a nightmare. But I have my two beautiful little girls...that gets me through it all!!

PUMPKIN PICKING

2011-10-23T23:11:00.025-04:00

We finally took the girls pumpkin picking this weekend. I am sort of glad that we waited because the beginning of October was still very warm here. We are finally in fall weather now and it was the perfect weather to go pumpkin picking. At first Ava was very overwhelmed and quiet...which is very unlike her now. But it only took a few minutes for her to warm up and get the hang of it. I'll let my pictures tell the story.

I promise to update soon...life has just been so hectic lately. I have tons to share about Ava's bonding and adjusting to her forever family.

We are still dealing with the aftermath from our home being flooded. Thankfully we have had hot water for a while...but still no washing machine or dryer. We are still waiting for our insurance company to see what they will pay us for. This is not how I want to spend our holidays with our home being such a mess. But we have each other and we have our health...praise the Lord!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AVA XUE!!

2011-09-14T23:26:00.013-04:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Girl!! I am so proud of you as you have come such a long way in the last 24 days since I became your Mama. I am so blessed to have been able to celebrate your life with you today! And I cannot wait to see you blossom and grow into a beautiful little girl!

We have the rest of our lives to celebrate your life. We are your family forever baby girl!!

CUTE TO COMPARE

2011-09-13T22:20:00.008-04:00

I just love when I take an outfit out of Ava's closet that was her big sister's. When I put it on her it brings back such beautiful memories we had with Halainah. It makes me sad that Halainah is growing up so fast...but so happy that we have amazing pictures to remember those moments...moments that we will cherish forever. And thankful that God blessed us with another miracle that we can love and nurture and create amazing memories with as well. Thank you Lord for these beautiful gifts!!

This is Halainah at 18 months old in her very first Matilda Jane dress. This is the dress that got me hooked and now I am obsessed with MJ. This picture was taken in the Outer Banks, North Carolina...and it was such an amazing vacation.

This is Ava at 23 months in Changchun, China. It was so incredible to see my new daughter come out of her shell a little and smile in her big sister's dress. This picture was taken only 3 days after she was taken away from the life she had known and placed into our arms.

This is Halainah at 17 months in our backyard. We were on our way to one of Aunt Bonnie's famous BBQ's.

This is Ava at 23 months old. I rolled the waist on her pants twice. She has such a tiny waist. I have learned that dresses work best on her tiny body and if I do put a skirt or pants on her...12 months is the way to go.

JUST ABOUT 1 WEEK HOME

2011-09-07T23:58:00.022-04:00

We have been home for just about 1 week. And what a week it has been...oh boy...never would I have expected to come home to the whirlwind that we have. I am not going to lie...it has been hard...very very hard.

As you know, we came home to a flooded house due to Hurricane Irene. We had about 7 inches of disgusting mucky water in our basement. When we finally arrived home from China we had about 4 inches left. The water was sitting for days since we were not home to take care of things. Therefore, we have mold and everything else that is not pleasant. We had to hire a professional service to come in and start cleaning up the mess, disinfecting and to take care of the mold problem...but since everyone is flooded around here...we are still waiting for them to come so our basement is even more of a disgusting mess. And now our hardwood floors on our first level have become damaged due to the dampness and mold.

In the meantime, my brother and Crystal flew all the way here from Colorado to help with the cleanup. And my Aunt Ann, Uncle Klause and Cousins Sultana and Tyler and Sasha and her boyfriend came to help also. Honestly, we appreciate their help so much. Even though our basement is still destroyed...we conquered our garage and our yard. If you could see the amount of items we lost and the piles and piles of damaged stuff that we threw out...well...it was so so sad. Lainey is upset because she lost 2 bicycles and her water sink. We just couldn't save those.

We are at a loss right now...flood insurance is denying a lot of items to replace...like a washing machine and dryer and our freezer. And much much more...so we are trying other avenues to help ease the major blow in our finances.

We have been eating out every day since we have no gas and simply cannot afford it anymore. Before we left for China, I went on a major food shopping trip...hundreds of dollars spent on food. I stocked our box freezer to the top with food so that when we came home we would be set. I cried when I emptied the freezer straight into the garbage...all that food...gone to waste. We have been denied hotel coverage through our insurance so we are roughing it as much as we can stand. We will get through this I know...it's just really really hard right now...so please pray for us. We also had to deal with the death of an amazing and beautiful little girl, Alex who was such a ray of sunshine. Her entire family is grieving hard...she fought a tough battle and is now dancing with the angels...she will never be forgotten. Halainah loved Alex dearly as did all of us!!

As for Ava...she is doing wonderful. Last night was the first night that she slept as well as she did in China. I think she is finally on our time. We have been keeping her up all day to try and get her on our time. In China she took an hour nap but she was all sorts of messed up since we have been home. The first night home she went to sleep at 7 am...second night 5 am...third night 3 am...and so on. Tonight she went to sleep at 11 and should sleep through the night.

For the first couple of days she wanted to be held all of the time and if Tony and I walked out of her sight she would cry. But she plays more and cries less. She is coming around big time. She even goes to others now to be held. She bonded well with Sultana and Aunt Ann, and my brother and Aunt Crystal.

Halainah loves her "baby little". She is really saying baby sister but it sounds like "baby little" so Ava is now known as baby little to my family. Don't get me wrong...they fight sometimes like sisters and don't share and Ava sometimes hits...but Halainah is patient. Halainah had a little break down this evening because her sister was wearing a pair of her old Twinkle Toes sneakers...Halainah wanted to wear her newer pair...but when I went to put them on they didn't fit anymore...so now Ava has two pairs of Twinkle Toes and Halainah has none. Well that was a major breakdown and I guess we need to get Halainah a new pair that fits. But welcome to the world of 2 kids for me...guess this is the way it will always be now...LOL.

I wish I could say that life at home has been amazing. But it has been hard. I am thankful that it has been smooth for Ava and her transition into our family has been so special. All of the other stuff...hopefully will be all a distant memory in the near future.

Now let's play catch-up with pictures:

This was taken in the White Swan Hotel on the Island on our last day in China. We really missed staying at it on this trip.

And this was our attempt on the famous red couch. Ava was having no part of it.

On the island...the famous line of kids...Ava wasn't having any part of this picture either...she was terrified of the statues!!

In the beautiful White Swan Hotel again!!

Our agencies attempt at a group photo.

An attempt of getting all of our children in the picture...Ava is all the way at the end.

She is a thumb sucker...just like I was...sure hope that she isn't 8 when she finally stops!!

On our first day home...Ava crawled into Opa's lap and went right to sleep!

Beautiful Halainah in her headband we bought in China.

Halainah and Opa

Ava in her headband...doesn't she look thrilled?

Halainah sharing her raisins with "Baby Little"

Halainah and Cousin Tyler

Aunt Crystal cleaning with Ava on her back! Ava wouldn't let you put her down at this point...so we had to compromise...it was the only way to get the clean up done!!

My beautiful China Doll Ava...she looks so big in pictures...but she is so tiny...this outfit is 12 months...I started putting all 12 month clothes on her...they fit her the best...18 month is ok too...but 24 month....NO WAY! She will be 2 in 1 week!!

My attempts at getting my 2 munchkins together for a picture

So silly!!

New PJ's from Jiu Jiu and Aunt Crystal!! And you thought the 12 months wouldn't fit!!

HOME SWEET HOME

2011-09-01T23:16:00.002-04:00

We arrived home safely. It was a very rough flight full of turbulence. I wanted to kiss the ground when we stepped off of the plane. Ava did great and seems to feel at home here.

Our home is destroyed...it looks like a war zone. I have already made a few calls to our insurance companies. It's going to be a rough couple of days. I need to find someone to pump our basement as our first course of action.

I will post more soon. Right now...I feel like a truck hit me. I'm so thankful to be home with my two beautiful girls even though our home is out of sorts. Regardless, I am one blessed Mommy.

IN HONG KONG

2011-08-31T12:27:00.002-04:00

We finally made it to Hong Kong via a high speed train this evening. It was one heck of a trip and very exhausting. If this was any indication of what our 15 hour flight will be tomorrow we are in trouble. Ava had a few melt downs and we wanted to have a melt down as well.

Our flight leaves tomorrow morning at 10:30 and we will arrive home on Thursday afternoon around 2. I cannot wait to see my Lainey Bug...that is what's going to get me through the long journey home.

We had a wonderful last day in China today. We took some great pictures that I can't wait to share...just not tonight...I am tired and need to get up very early.

My dad booked us a hotel room at a hotel near our home. We will be staying there for a few days until we can get some things taken care of at home. My Dad was finally able to get into our house...and thanks to all of your prayers...the water did not reach our main living area. Praise the Lord!!

But we did have about 7 feet or so in the basement which means...all electric...hot water heater...central vac...washer and dryer...all needs to be replaced. Not to mention everything that was stored down there. The basement needs to be pumped...cleaned...insulation torn down...oh I could go on and on. Outside our central AC unit went under...all Halainah's toys...sand box...trampoline...play house...all under. The garage...lawn mower...freezer...pressure washer...I could go on...all went under. It's a disaster but could of been worse. We will get through it...even with jet lag I suppose.

Thank you to all my family and friends that have offered their home to stay in...help with getting things back together and most of all...your prayers. I truly appreciate them. Right now...I need to focus on getting home...than I will deal with everything else.

Goodnight from Hong Kong....next post will be from home!!

VISA APPOINTMENT AND OATH-TAKING CEREMONY

2011-08-30T11:00:00.005-04:00

Early this morning we boarded a bus to go to the US Consulate for our Visa Appointment and Oath-taking ceremony. It was insanely busy and extremely hot. Guangzhou is so hot. You literally melt the minute you walk out the door. This morning the temperature was 105 degrees with 99% humidity. It is just awful. Anyway, we were there with about 10 other families. We all stood, raised our right hand and took our oath that all the information we have supplied is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge. When all was said and done the woman at the Consulate congratulated all of us on the new additions to our families. We applied for Ava's Visa and than we were on our way. Tomorrow afternoon we will receive Ava's passport back with her Visa. Afterwards we will take a high speed train to Hong Kong. We will spend the night in Hong Kong and early Thursday morning (Wednesday evening US time) we will board our plane for the 15 1/2 hour ride home. Please pray for our safe travels home.

Speaking of home...I really don't know where we are going once we arrive back home. As far as we know at this point we have no electricity or hot water. And both will need to be replaced. We are still unsure how much damage is done to our home. My Dad is still unable to get to our house since the flood waters have not gone down. We are trying to think positive...and positive is still really bad. We are praying...down on our knees that the flood waters did not reach the main level of our home. We are still expecting 6 plus feet of water...could be more. I cannot even tell you the level of stress I am under. I just want to come home to my own home... I want to relax and spend quality time with my two daughters. We have a lot of work ahead of us...a lot of work. It's devastating...truly devastating.

I will try to enjoy our last day here in Guangzhou. We plan on taking a cab back to the island early in the morning to pick up a few things that we ordered. Afterwards we need to come back and prepare to head to the train station.

Ava has been doing very well with all of the traveling. She's a feisty little bugger so that has been a little bit of a challenge. But she sleeps really really well. She naps every day for 2 - 3 hours and goes right into her crib around 9 and sleeps until 8. That has been a blessing for sure. I don't know if I could have added sleeping issues on top of everything else we have been dealing with.

I hope to update once in Hong Kong tomorrow night. If I am too exhausted I will post once I return. I would like to do a recap post about our entire journey and what tips and tricks I used to help Ava bond with me. But right now...I am way too stressed.

Only 2 more sleeps and I get to hold and hug my Lainey Bug!!! I can''t wait but she is going to be upset if she can't come back to her home!!! We may all have a melt down!!

A FEW DAYS LEFT

2011-08-29T08:42:00.011-04:00

So sorry that I did not post an update yesterday. I had too much on my mind with Hurricane Irene. I have been talking with my Dad on and off and we have been hit hard...VERY hard. We are coming home to a disaster...the worst that we have seen. I don't even know how we are going to deal with the jet lag and trying to clean up and dry off and replace what needs to be replaced. We are trying to keep our minds off of things and on Ava and finishing the final steps of her adoption but it's hard. We feel so helpless being so far from home.

Today we took a cab over to Shamian Island and went to The White Swan. It was so surreal being in that hotel again. It was 2 1/2 years ago that we were there for Halainah's adoption. It brought back so many wonderful memories and made us miss her even more. It has been pure torture being a part from her. Every part of me misses her. I ache physically and mentally from being away from her. I cannot wait to hug her and kiss her and let her know that Mommy and Daddy will never leave her again. Thursday is going to be so sweet in so many ways.

We are ready to come home. This trip has been mentally exhausting. We have had many issues to deal with. It would literally take me a week to write everything down. Ava has been through a lot. She has been thrown into 4 different families and I am sure that she doesn't understand nor does she know what a forever family is. In the beginning of this trip she was terrified of me. She would back in a corner and shake when I would come near her. She attached herself to her Daddy and he was her hero. Now...I call her my Koala Bear because she is attached to my hip and neck. She wants to be held by me all the time and follows me wherever I go...usually holding onto my leg as I try to walk. She cries when I leave the room and is happy when I return. She calls me Mama and loves to say "Oh Baby" with me. She kisses my arms while I am holding her and smiles all the time. And her episodes of shutting down have become fewer and fewer. She is learning to trust us and I believe she is beginning to feel the love. Right now she is dancing and jumping all over the room. A week ago she would stare at the wall with such a sad face...and a broken heart. It's amazing how much she has changed. If you asked me a week ago whether I believed she would make this transformation so soon...I would of told you "not a chance in the world."

Ava is also a little miss sassy pants. She has aggression built up and likes to pinch and throw things. We are working with her and feel that once we are home and things are stable she will learn that those things are unacceptable. It's so hard to pick your battles while you are on the other side of the world, trying to bond with your daughter but also trying to lay down the rules. But we will learn together as a family.

I am so thankful that we were able to soak in the beauty and culture of China with Halainah's adoption. This trip has been more of a challenge. Adoption is not easy...and I have not come across an "Adoption for Dummies" book that could help with any of the issues that we have encountered on this trip. But it is also so rewarding and I would never change a thing. I have two very beautiful treasures and I cannot wait to watch both of them blossom into two amazing young women...slowly of course.

Tomorrow is a big day as we head to the US Consulate for our Visa appointment and our Oath-taking Ceremony. I cannot believe that our trip is coming to an end and we will soon be on our way home. Wednesday we pack up and take a train ride to Hong Kong. I am not looking forward to checking into another hotel. But it will mean only one day away from our Lainey girl.

MEDICAL EXAMINATION

2011-08-27T10:19:00.012-04:00

We started out our day this morning by going to the breakfast buffet at The China Hotel. It was alright but not as good as The White Swan was. But the best part of the breakfast buffet was seeing all the families that we were in orientation with us in Beijing and meeting their new sons or daughters. Each of us had a story to tell from when we were in our child's province. But the theme was the same...most of the children bonded with one parent and rejected the other. It was nice to talk to the others about it and feel like it just wasn't you.

After breakfast we headed to Shamian Island to get our children's medical exams done and Visa pictures taken. It was one more step that needed to take place before we can leave. And we are so ready to leave China and go home. We need to get our sweet girl home and move forward. Although she is doing really well. She still shuts down at random times.

Ava's medical exam went very well. She weighed in at 22 pounds. Halainah was 20 pounds at 14 months and Ava is 22 pounds at 23 months. The doctor said that he cannot hear a heart murmur so he thinks her PFO has healed itself. But we know from past experience that PFO does not cause a heart murmur so you wouldn't hear it. We will have to see what Ava's cardiologist says. And he said that he does not see any signs of Pigeon Breast so he's not sure why that was noted in her medical report that we received when we were matched. We know that when Ava was found she was malnourished so we think that they must have noted she had Pigeon Breast at that time because her ribs protruded a bit. But anyway, it doesn't matter because her chest is fine. Ava screamed of course...especially when they took off her shoes and clothes. She is very attached to her shoes and feels very insecure when you take her clothes off so that didn't go over that well. But we consoled her and she got over it.

Ava and I are doing fabulous! I know it has been because of all of your prayers so thank you very much. Today she was attached to me like glue. She cried when I had to leave the room to fill out paperwork...she hugs me...kisses me...calls me mama and puts her arms up for me to lift her. She even trusted me to hold her outside of our room. And she fell asleep in my arms on the bus ride back from the medical exam. I think our relationship is blossoming more and more and hope it continues. She had a few distant episodes today. Those don't seem to be getting fewer and fewer...they have been about the same. But we still see times when she is so happy...laughing and playing. I think her adjustment will be an ongoing issue for a while.

Tomorrow we are going to the Jade and Pearl Wholesale market. I am not sure what I am going to purchase...maybe a pendant...we shall see.

The countdown is on...only 5 more days until we are on our way home. I CANNOT wait to see my Lainey girl. I want to hug her and kiss her and never let her go. It has been brutal being away from her and I can't stand it another minute!!

If you have noticed in all of my pictures that Ava is wearing a hat. Well I am glad I brought one with me because she will not leave the room without it. when she is ready to leave she will grab her shoes and her hat...it's the cutest thing. I may try a headband tomorrow but don't think it will work since she won't be able to put her hat over it. Ava had a hat packed in with a bag of snacks that her orphanage gave us when we got her. I think she is just used to wearing a hat while outside.

To all my family and friends who are home preparing for the hurricane....please stay safe. We are thinking of you and praying for you! We are extremely nervous being so far from home!

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

2011-08-26T11:54:00.006-04:00

Ok....we are beyond tired right now so my post is going to be very brief. Today was a day of travel. We are now at the tail end of our trip and have checked into the China Hotel in Guangzhou . It is a beautiful hotel...but honestly I am missing the White Swan. Tomorrow we have Ava's medical exam and a bunch of paperwork to complete. It's going to be a busy day.

Wow...what a transformation in my sweet baby girl today. We have seen a different side of Ava today. She's so active...she laughs and giggles...she is a blast. In the room today she was all over me...kissing me, hugging me, following me around, mimicking me and putting her beautiful arms up for me to carry her. I was in shock. My sweet girl calls me Mama and her daddy Baba. It is music to my ears. Don't get me wrong...we still have obstacles to overcome and more trust to be built. Once we leave the hotel room...she seeks her daddy for security. BUT today...she let me carry her in the airport and she sat with me on the plane for at least half the ride. And I didn't have to bribe her with food or juice. My sweet girl...she's letting me into her world and it feels so good. I can't tell you how much we adore her and love her to a bazillion pieces.

So...that's it for now. I need to go to sleep...Ava was so active on the plane ride today. I have NO idea how we are going to fly 15 1/2 hours home with her. I can't even think about that right now.

To my family and friends that can't wait to meet Ava. Please understand that she will most likely not go to anyone for a while. She is still very insecure and there are still times that her little mind goes elsewhere. I know I keep using this word. But my sweet sweet Ava is so FRAGILE. When you meet her...you will know exactly what I mean.

There aren't a whole lot of pictures to share today since we were mostly in transit...but I think the few that I am sharing today...well they speak volumes!!!!

EMPEROR'S PALACE AND THE ZOO

2011-08-25T11:09:00.019-04:00

First I have to start this post by saying that my sweet Ava and I have broken down some more of the wall today. We still have a long way to go in our bonding and her trust in me. But everyday is an improvement. This morning when she awoke she stood up in her crib and let me know she had to go to the potty. So I put my arms out and she put hers up so I could pick her up. That was a huge step for my sweet girl. And I got tons and tons of smiles. We laughed and played and she looks deeper and deeper into my eyes every day. But once we leave our hotel room she still will not hold my hand or let me carry her. So...we still have a ways to go. But when we were at lunch today, she let me take her out of Tony's sight so I could take her to the potty...which was all the way downstairs. So I would say...today was another very good day. She let me feed her and she sat on my lap at lunch. It took a little while and she still reached for Tony but...she stayed and we bonded a little more. And when we got back to our hotel room after a long day of touring and dinner...we played and played and laughed and laughed. I am confidant that she is learning to trust me. She didn't look over to make sure Tony was there...she was content with just me and our bonding.

Today was our last full day in Changchun, Jilin Province, China. So we toured a little since we haven't really done so since we came here on Sunday. Our day trip consisted of the Emperor's Palace Puppet Museum which was established in 1962. And we went to a zoo since we thought the kids would enjoy seeing the animals and getting out a little bit. Well I don't know what happened but Ava was in a great mood this morning...laughing and playing...and showing us more of her personality. But as soon as we entered the zoo until the time we left...she shut down...completely shut down. Our guide kept asking me what was wrong with her. She was walking around in a daze...with a deeply sad look on her face. She didn't want to look at the animals and didn't want to be there in general. I wonder what my sweet girl was thinking? Did she remember her foster Mama today? Did her foster Mama take her to the zoo often? It was almost like the zoo brought her back to a place that she didn't want to be. Because as soon as we left and got into our van...she completely changed. Sweet Ava was playing and laughing and smiling. Our guide said that she cannot believe the difference between the van and the zoo. We all agree that it must have reminded her of her past. She wasn't even seeking her security which is Tony...she didn't want his hand...she was so distant. Tony and I both feel...we just need to leave Jilin Province...we need to get our girl out of here...so that she can begin to heal.

We received such a special gift today. Our guide gave our family and Jackson's family a memory book that was put together by their head teacher in their school. It has memories and pictures and milestones and hand prints and foot prints and drawings going back from May 26th 2010 all the way until Gotcha day. It was put together with such love and came with an English translation. We also learned that the school that Ava attended is sponsored by the Half the Sky Foundation. Which is how Ava's memory book was created. "Half the Sky Foundation was created to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects for orphaned children in China. The Foundation establishes and operates infant nurture and preschool programs, provides personalized learning for older children and establishes loving, permanent care and guidance for children with disabilities. Half the Sky's goal is to ensure that every orphaned child has a caring adult in her life and a chance at a bright future." This gift is such a special blessing for our daugter. Again...another piece of her past that she will long for when she is older.

We are leaving tomorrow for yet another flight for the last leg of our journey. We will be flying 4 1/2 hours to Guangzhou to finish up the rest of the paperwork...get Ava's Visa...take her for a medical exam and go to our oath taking ceremony. I am sad to be leaving Jilin because I am taking my daughter away from the only place she has called home. But we need to move on. Our fragile little girl needs to move on and begin her new life with us.

AVA'S FINDING PLACE AND MUCH MORE

2011-08-24T10:13:00.020-04:00

There is nothing...absolutely nothing in the world that can prepare you enough for your child rejecting you. I went into this adoption fully aware that it would not be as easy as Halainah's was. I knew there was a strong possibility that Ava would attach to one of us and reject the other. But when it happens to you and you are so far away from home...it's hard...down right hard. Last night I broke down...emotionally I was spent. Do you know how it feels to have your daughter not be able to look you in the eye? Or back in a corner when you get close to her? Or cling to your spouse in total fear of you? Well I do and it broke me in ways I never knew I could break. But I cried it out and my best friend...the one who knows me better than myself helped me ground myself again. And so I prayed for strength to help me get through one day at a time. And let HIM carry me!

And today was a MUCH better day. Ava opened herself up to me today in a huge way. And we finally saw our sweet sweet girl smile. She is so fragile. When I look into her huge dark almond eyes I see the pain that she endured in her short life. Living in an orphanage for her first year and being tossed into two different foster families and than into our lives...my sweet girl needs time to heal and adjust. She is so confused and is still grieving. She completely shuts down at times pulling at her hair and grunting. But today there were fewer moments of grief and more moments of her breaking out of her shell and letting me in.

And today she laughed and played with me. She now looks me in the eyes. She let me take her to the potty 4 times and I was able to change her clothes. She gave me kisses and let me touch her skin...stroke her face and kiss her sweet lips. She still makes sure that Tony is in her sight and he is the one she wants when we are out walking. But today...today was a huge step for my sweet Ava. And even if she wakes up wanting nothing to do with me again....I will work all day to gain her trust again.

This morning we took a ride to find the place where Ava was found. We have the information from the orphanage and set out on our adventure. At first we were unable to find it so our guide asked some locals if they knew of the location. Well before we knew it there was a crowd around us. And as it turns out, one woman told our guide that her sister was the one that found Ava almost 2 years ago. So she called her sister and about 5 minutes later she came walking up to us. She took us to the exact spot where she found Ava. I cannot even describe the feeling of standing in that spot. The tears came pouring down. I don't want to go into great detail as I feel it is very personal for my daughter and it wouldn't be fair to her to share something so personal. But what I will say is that conditions were poor...it was very cold...and her birth mom loved her so very much. We were able to ask this woman who found her all sorts of questions...like what was she wearing and what was with her and what happened to her next. I also asked her if she has ever found another baby. The answer was No...just our daugher...just Ava. And she was so honored to see our sweet Ava today...so beautiful...so alive...so loved. Part of me wanted to stay in that exact spot...I wanted to soak in the sounds...the smell...I wanted to permanently etch that picture in my mind. We thanked this woman so much for giving us such a wonderful gift...part of our daughter's past...a part I am sure she will long for desperatly when she grows up. We hugged eachother and parted ways. I shed a few more tears while walking away...seeing my daughter walking hand in hand with her daddy...walking away from the spot she was found...the spot that brought her into our family. Our fragile little girl...her eyes so sad...her heart so vulnerable. I am so proud of her today...letting me break down the wall so much today...only days after her world as she knew it was torn apart.

I think we will all be ok. I think sweet Ava will open her heart fully and once she does she will be a strong little happy girl...leaving behing her fragile self. Thank you so much for all of your comments offering support and advice and most of all your prayers. They meant the world to me and helped me face another day of breaking down the wall.

Please note that the pictures I am sharing does not contain the exact spot Ava was found...only surrounding areas...the pictures we did take of her finding spot will be saved for her.

Oh and did I mention how tiny she is? All the 24 month clothes I brought...way too big...so don't mind them hanging off of her in the pictures!!

NOT MUCH

2011-08-23T09:50:00.001-04:00

Not much to report today...lets just put it this way...I am struggling. I will update tomorrow!

GOTCHA DAY - WE HAVE AVA

2011-08-22T02:06:00.017-04:00

We Have Ava!! I know that you all would rather look at Ava's pictures than to listen to me babble so here you go:

About 20 minutes after we arrived at the Cival Affairs office our children arrived. Ava looked so tiny compared to what I pictured her as. She is tiny...all of the 24 month clothes I brought are too big. I would say she is more of an 18 month old in clothes size. And the size 5 shoes are just right. She is beautiful...absolutely beautiful. Her lips are stunning and her eyes...big and gorgeous. Her teacher brought her into the room and she looked confused. She is very frightened....very very frightened and is having a hard time. She has rejected me completely. But has attached herself to Tony...which is good. I am ok with it. Her whole world has been turned upside down and whatever comforts her right now is exactly what she will get. She's potty trained...which completely surprised us. She had an accident at the civil affairs office because she was so frightened. But has shown us that she had to go potty once back in our hotel room. She has gone on the potty about 4 times for us. She's grieving and grieving hard. Once we took her back to the hotel room she refused to take off her shoes so we let her keep everything on. I planned to let her sleep in everything she came to us in if need be. But she had another accident and she needed to be changed and a bath was in order. She cried of course...Halainah hated the bath too. Once we bathed her she fell asleep in Tony's arms and took a good hour nap. We are planning on taking her to the playroom here at the hotel to try and keep her mind off of things and than it's another trip to the walmart. It is actually a little chilly here. I did not bring appropriate clothing for her province. I need to pick up warmer clothes and socks and extremely little panties for her very small tushy. Still can't believe she is potty trained. She may revert...so we shall see...I have diapers too. Hopefully tomorrow she will let me in a little bit. If not...she will eventually. It just breaks my heart that I can't console her. We love her so so so much!! And Ava Maria fits her perfectly.

ON OUR WAY TO THE CIVAL AFFAIRS OFFICE

2011-08-21T18:33:00.004-04:00

In about 45 minutes we will be making our way down to the breakfast buffett at the Shangri-La Hotel here in Changchun. I am not sure if I will be able to eat as my stomach is doing flip flops. At 8:15 we will meet our guide in the Lobby and will start heading to the Cival Affairs Office. Our children will arrive at 9:00. My emotions are running high....I'm excited, nervous, anxious, happy and sad. And a bazillion more but I think I am at a loss for words now too. I'm sad that Ava is leaving everything that she has known in her 2 years of life and sad for her foster mom that kissed her goodbye one last time this morning. But I trust in the one in charge and I know that he personally brought Ava to us. So I know in given time Ava will adore her mommy and daddy just like Halainah does. The gifts for the orphanage are packed and Ava's bag is packed as well. So now we must follow God's plan and bring our next daughter into our family. I can't wait!!

CHANGCHUN, CHINA, JILIN PROVINCE

2011-08-21T10:15:00.002-04:00

Today was mostly a day of travel so I don't have too much to report on. We said our sad goodbyes to Beijing and left with a complete feeling of fullness. We saw a beautiful side of her that we did not get to see before. Our plane ride to Changchun, China, Jilin Province was a little tough for me for some reason. I had a lot of anxiety and struggled through the flight. Thank God the flight was only 1 1/2 hours.

Once we arrived we met our lovely Guide Lillian and she took us to our hotel. First I need to say that we flew north of Beijing. The weather is so so beautiful. It's still warm at about 82 degrees but no humidity. Today was the first day that we didn't sweat. And tonight was actually cold...like sweatshirt cold.

There is a walmart directly across from our hotel so that could be a bad thing for Tony and I since we love to shop. But we were able to get supplies and snacks. We also ate dinner at a homemade noodle house. It was so delicous....nothing like what you could get from home. And dinner for 6 came to $20. Crazy!!!

We received some information today about Ava. We were told she is very very shy. And that she is afraid of strangers. The little boy that is being adopted with Ava tomorrow is Ava's friend. The both of them attend school together monday through friday. I thought that was neat and hopefully they can keep eachother company.

Well that is it for now. I am so tired and it's going to be a long day. We leave for the Civil affairs office at 8:15. I cannot believe that we are hours away from meeting our new daughter. Please pray that she isn't too frightened and that she bondswith us well. I have to say I am nervous.

There are no pictures to post today as it was mostly a travel day. But tomorrow you get to see Ava so I will make up for it!!

Ava....we are coming for you baby girl!!

Tian An Men Square, The Forbidden City and The Silk Factory

2011-08-20T11:03:00.014-04:00

Our day started out with our Orientation meeting. Since this is our second time around we already knew everything our guide Les was saying. Nothing about the process has changed much. The best part came at the end of the meeting when we all were able to see pictures of our daughters and sons. We were shocked to have received new information about Ava. And we received 5 new pictures of her. She is so beautiful and so big. And she was laughing in one of the pictures which was a pleasure to see. We received some information about her schedule. And were also told that she is very attached to her foster mother. I am sure there is going to be a lot of grieving for our little girl. It was so wonderful to talk amongst the other families...compare pictures and measurements. We also found out that 1 other family will be travelling to Jilin province with us. So we are not going to be alone after all. In fact the family that we are travelling with are adopting a little boy who is the same age as Ava...I think Ava is 6 days older. We both feel like it's a blessing that we are together as our children can play together. And perhaps they will feel a sense of security as they will be familiar with eachother.

Afterwards, we had another full day of touring. I will never complain about it being hot back at home again. It was hotter than hot today and it litterally wipes your energy right out of your body. We drink a lot of water to keep hydrated. What amazes me is that you can put a gallon of water into your body and nothing comes out...if you know what I mean.

When we fly to Jilin the temperatures are supposed to be aroun 78. I sure hope this is true as we already need a break from the heat and the brutal sun.

The Forbidden City was magnificent and awe-inspiring. When we toured Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City during Halainah's adoption we admired it from a distance. We did not walk around the city. Today we walked around 40 percent of it. It is huge at just about 720,000 square-meters which is the largest palatial complex in the world.

Our group consisted of about 7 families and we were all dragging towards the end of the tour. The sun and heat got the best of us and we couldn't wait to get onto the air conditioned bus.

Afterwards we went to a silk factory. We learned about a silk worms life cycle. And also how silk is made. It really was interesting. And it made me have a new outlook on silk. It takes so much time and energy to make silk. I wanted to purchase the whole store once we entered the childrens section. But the prices were expensive and I couldn't see purchasing 100 % traditional silk dresses for the girls when they wouldn't wear them that often. I will be waiting to go to Guangzhou to purchase the girls dresses there. But it was neat to walk around and brouse.

Our night ended with a beautiful stroll down walking street. It's a street that is blocked to cars which is nice...because remember...the cars do not stop. It is so bright with the neon lights illuninating the sky. It's much like New York city but it's very clean, the citizens are nice and you feel safe. Even though it is so hot during the day...at night a cool breeze sets in. We had another traditional Chinese dinner and sat in a restaurant that was outside but you sat in a little quaint hut. It was beautiful and delicious. One of the families that we have grown close to invited us out to dinner with them for pizza. They went to the Italian restaurant yesterday and loved it so they were returning. But Tony and I would rather indulge in Chinese food as it is nothing like the "fake" Chinese food we get at home. Why would we want pizza in China? Anyway, Jen and Nate are flying to a different province tomorrow and they will meet their beautiful 2 1/2 year old daughter tomorrow. We meet Ava on Monday. They live in PA which is nice so I am sure we will get together once in a while. But the best part is that we are going to be on the same plane ride home. So our girls will be able to play with eachother.

Well...I am off to bed. I am so so tired. We are meeting our guide in the Lobby tomorrow morning at 8:30. We will be saying a sad farewell to Beijing and will be flying to Jilin Province...where our daughter is from. I cannot believe that we are so close. I am sad to say goodbye to Beijing but am very happy to be going onto the next leg of our journey.

Halainah Grace...Mommy and Daddy miss you so much baby girl! These past few days have been so hard and our heart's ache for you. We talk about you all day and night. I am so happy that when we talked to you today you were laughing and laughing. That silly Daddy...he's so funny!! We love you so much and miss you so much! Grandma will give you a big hug and kiss from us!! Thank you for being such a good girl from Grandma...I'm so happy she is your best friend!!!

GREAT WALL, JADE MARKET AND HUTONGTOUR

2011-08-19T10:09:00.016-04:00

Totally amazing...that is how I would describe our day today. We saw another side of Beijing today that we missed out on with Halainah's adoption. We toured the Great Wall. It was amazing and absolutely breathtaking to stand on such a beautiful piece of history. It was built over 2000 years ago. When looking into the horizon, you can see the Great Wall zig zagging it's way through the mountains. It truly was spectacular. We only climbed a small portion of it. It was so steep in parts and I came to realize just how out of shape I actually am. I feel completely fulfilled that I was actually standing on the Wall today as it was something I longed to do way before we adopted Halainah.

Tony and I purchased two bronze locks in the shape of a double heart. We engraved one with Halainah's name on it and one with Ava's name on it. We carefully searched for the perfect spot to permanently place the girl's locks on the Great Wall. We chose a spot right under a large tree in hopes that one day when we return with the girls, we will be able to find their locks. I love the fact that our girls are now a part of the wall...their names delicately engraved on a special heart lock will permanently stay and are now a part of history. I think it will make an amazing story one day for the girls to share at show and tell in school. It was a little piece of their heritage that we have forever linked them too.

We also purchased tiny glass bottles that a local woman hand painted the girls names on the inside. She painted their names in English and Chinese. The bottles are so tiny and we were amazed as we watched her steady hand quickly paint their names inside the tiny bottle with such ease.

After our tour and sweating buckets and buckets of sweat...we went for a tour at a Jade Market. We toured the Jade Market and were able to see women carving and polishing Jade statues. We were also given a lesson on how to tell if Jade is real...by the sound it makes and how Jade is industructible. You can throw Jade on the floor and it will never break. If you scratch it against glass...the glass will scratch but the Jade will not. I asked about my Jade bracelet that I have never taken off since we adopted Halainah to see if it was real. It was but the quality was about an 8 instead of a 10. I did not purchase anything at the Jade Market...all the Jade there was the highest quality and the prices are too expensive. I am on a mission to find a Jade circle pendant...the circle of life. Hopefully I will find one before we leave China. We also had a delicious lunch which was located on the second floor of the Jade Market. Authentic Chinese food which is nothing like the Chinese food we have back home. All I can say is fried bananas with sugar...YUMMY!!
After lunch we took a rickshaw ride through the Hutong lanes of China. Again...simply amazing. A rickshaw is a two wheeled cart that is pulled by a man on a bicycle. We weaved in and out of the allys which were so narrow that you could barely fit another bicycle next to you. The Hutong Lanes is a beautiful community where everyone is family. This was real China, where the locals were so happy just to have a roof over their head. They do not have bathrooms, they use public bathrooms to shower and you know...do their business. We were informed to take notice of different entry ways into the homes. As there is a story behind each one. The more beams and the higher the threshold the higher up their families are on the social rank.
We were invited into the home of a family who is well known in the Hutongs. We had to step over the threshold with our right foot as a sign of respect. The man of the house told us that he is the 5th generation to own their home. He took great pride in his home and proudly showed us his life in the Hutongs. He is a Kung Fu instructor. His son lives in Huston Texas and is a famous Kung Fu intructor there. He has been shown on ABC. His father is so very proud of his son and misses him immensly. I saw tears in his eyes as he was bragging about his son. His home is considered a mansion in the Hutongs. To us...we were unsure how a family could live there. The kitchen could only hold one person. The living room had a TV but no couch and the dining room was the size of a typical american bathroom. They are considered extremely lucky as they do have a toilet in their home. The size of the home did not matter. What mattered was the history and the love of his family. Outside his home was a courtyard where numerous citizens were enjoying the beautiful sunny day playing cards and exercising. You could hear the echoes of laughter and sense the true love of life. We are so spoiled in the US. I think we could all learn a thing or two from China.
We walked away today, truly feeling like we gained so much from our tour today. Everything that we missed out on 3 years ago, we gained today and then some. China is amazing...it's beautiful...it's crazy...it's so full of history that you can't help but stop and breathe and soak in the magic. Our girls will be very proud of their heritage.
Tomorrow we have orientation bright and early. We were told that we will have updates on our children...but I have a feeling that we already received this update. We have 5 families in our group however we are all going to different provinces. So we will truly be by ourselves in Ava's province.
It's time for bed...we are having a hard time with Jet lag. We woke at 5:30 this morning and have been up ever since. Hopefully we will get some more sleep tonight. We are getting closer to Gotcha day and have butterflies in our stomaches. My arms are aching for my daughter....for both of our daughters. We miss Halainah so very much!!

2011-08-18T18:20:00.002-04:00

This is just a test post to see if I have found a way to finally blog!
If this goes through...
Dinner was awesome last night. We sat in an outside courtyard...it was muggy but there was a cool breeze in the air. We walked around the streets of Beijing and were able to soak in the nightlife. It's still crazy China, where you have to be very careful crossing the road. Cars do not stop!!
We are going to the Great Wall this morning. First stop...the delicious breakfast buffet here!
Hopefully I can post pictures tonight!
We are having a blast...China is so beautiful.

Arrived Safely

2011-08-18T13:32:00.001-04:00

"We have finally arrived safely at our hotel in Beijing.  Our flight was absolutely wonderful.  While we were sitting at the airport waiting to board our names were called to go to the front desk.  Guess what?  We got bumped to Business Class.  It was such a wonderful surprise.  We were treated like royalty with 3 course meals...huge seats that reclined all the way down with an ottoman to put our feet up and huge TV screens.  we had more room than we knew what to do with.  Our 14 hour flight flew by since we were so comfortable.  Tomorrow we have to meet early in the lobby to meet our guide for The Great Wall.  I am not able to get onto blogger from here...so my brother is posting for me.  Hopefully when we get to Ava's province we will be able to get on but I am not sure.  I still can't believe we are in China again and that we are so close to our baby girl.  But this mama and daddy misses our Lainey Bug so much and are counting down the days until we can hug and kiss her!! 

ITINERARY

2011-08-13T22:47:00.002-04:00

August 17th - Embark on another journey of a lifetime...flight leaves at noon

August 18th - Arrive in Beijing at 1:45 PM (China Time)

August 19th - Tour the Great Wall and Hutong Lane

August 20th - Orientation meeting and tour Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and visit a Silk Factory

August 21st - Fly to Changchun

August 22nd - GOTCHA DAY!!!

August 23rd - Official Adoption Day and apply for Ava's passport

August 24th - Free Day - Touring will be scheduled at a later time

August 25th - Free Day - Touring will be scheduled at a later time

August 26th - Fly to Guangzhou

August 27th - Visa paperwork check and medical exam

August 28th - Free Day - Touring will be scheduled at a later time

August 29th - Free Day - Touring will be scheduled at a later time

August 30th - Visa appointment and Oath-taking ceremony

August 31st - Visa pick up and taking a train to Hong Kong

September 1st - Flight back home leaving China at 10:25 AM (China time) and arriving home 1:55 PM (our time)

I cannot believe we leave in a few short days. I am nervous and extremely excited. I have so much to do but have accomplished so much as well.

I feel like this trip should be a breeze since we have been through it before. But it is anything but a breeze.

But soon it will all be worth it once I have my baby girl in my arms!!!

FLIGHTS ARE BOOKED

2011-07-19T00:12:00.002-04:00

Let the countdown begin.

We leave on August 17th and return home on September 1st.

I will post more as I know more.

I am so excited and a little nervous too!!!

TA

2011-07-15T10:24:00.004-04:00

Travel Approval has arrived....YAY!! Wow that was quick...it actually arrived on Wednesday night.

So...where does that leave us in terms of dates?

Well...we cannot leave the US any earlier than August 13th due to Tony's job. And we absolutely want to tour The Great Wall since we missed it when we adopted Halainah. And who knows when we will return to China.

So...that puts us around August 16th or 17th as a departure date. I will have exact dates by Monday.

So...we are so close...I have so much to do...and I can't wait to hold our beautiful daughter in my arms forever!!

ARTICLE 5

2011-07-05T10:48:00.010-04:00

Woooo Hoooo!

Our Article 5 arrived on Friday just in time to celebrate during our long holiday weekend.

So now we are waiting for our Travel Approval. Current time frames will put us in China just about 6 weeks from now. So we are looking at the middle of August.

We are so close and the nesting instinct has kicked in full force. I want to throw everything out that we haven't used in a year or so...why keep it? Our first job is the kitchen...than the closets.

I still can't believe that we are going back to China! Oh my....I can't wait to hold my baby girl!!

We also received some more photos of our beautiful daughter!! And I can't wait to see her smile!

BE STILL MY HEART!

2011-06-24T12:01:00.004-04:00

Look what arrived in my inbox yesterday!

Oh my....I just want to kiss those adorable cheeks.

I am still waiting for measurements. I am so torn between bringing 18 month clothes and 24 month clothes. I don't want her clothes to be too big because it's going to be so hot there. And I want her to be comfortable.

And I want to bring at least 1 pair of shoes with me. I wish I knew what size she was wearing in the picture below because clearly they are the wrong size. I am thinking about packing a size 5 based on what size Halainah was at her age. But Halainah has such a small foot. At 14 months old she was wearing a shoe size of a 3-6 month old. And almost at the age of 4 she is wearing only one size larger than her 2 year old cousin Vincent.

In the first pic she looks like such a little peanut. In the second pic. she looks like such a big girl.

What do you think? She is currently 21 months old.

Hopefully I will receive updated measurements but there is no guarantee.

Come on Article 5...what the heck is taking you so long!!

My baby girl needs us!!

UPDATE - I 800 APPROVAL

2011-06-18T19:45:00.011-04:00

Things are moving along for our next miracle daughter. On June 6th we received our I 800 approval. On June 11th, our approval was cabled to China. We are now waiting for our Article 5 which should arrive in 2 weeks. Than we wait for China to issue our Travel approval. So many steps left and my arms and heart are aching for our baby girl. We should travel in August....but wish it were so much sooner. I requested an update so hopefully we get a much needed surprise this week.

We are trying to keep busy to keep our minds off of waiting. We were finally able to make a trip to the beach today. It was a gorgeous day and Halainah was in all her glory. We gave her a choice between Sesame Place and the Beach...she chose the beach...she's such a beach bunny.

And since I haven't posted any pics. in a while of our beautiful Lainey...here you go:

We enjoyed a special family day today. But there was someone who is VERY special and VERY loved that was missing!!

Soon baby girl...I promise...soon!!

LOA - MAY 4th

2011-05-28T21:45:00.009-04:00

Boy am I behind on blogging. I need to step it up because I am missing so many milestones in our adoption of our newest most beautiful miracle. And I really need to change my blog layout. How long ago was Christmas?

Ok...so our LOA (Letter Of Approval) from China was received on May 4th. It only took 34 days to receive it which shocked us to say the least. We waited an excruciating 92 days for Halainah's LOA. We are so excited and was shocked to hear that because of this we should be traveling in August instead of September.

We are currently waiting for our I-800 Approval. Which took a lot of extra work to get to this point. A new Home Study had to be done so that it included the age and specific special need our daughter has. Once we received our new Home Study we had to file a I-797 Supplement 3 to reflect the changes as well. Then we filed our I-800. It was certainly a different process than it was for Halainah and a lot of extra paperwork.

On March 28th, 2 1/2 years after Halainah initially saw her Cardiologist, he gave her a clean bill of health. All the tests he performed proved that Halainah's heart was healed and her small hole in her heart (PFO - Patent Foramen Ovale) had closed on it's own. She was released from his care and was now termed "100% healthy" instead of "special needs."

2 hours after we returned from her appointment we received the phone call that we had been praying for. We were matched with a beautiful little girl whose special need happened to be PFO, the same heart condition as Halainah. It was a sign straight from our Lord above. He found our daughter and brought her to us. He healed Halainah and certainly chose our daughter knowing that we could fully handle her special need. It truly is amazing and no words can truly describe it.

Halainah is very excited to be a big sister. She asks about her sister often and carries a picture of her in her little purse. She tells us that she will share her Mommy and her Daddy and her Grandma and Opa with her sister. Sometimes she says she will share her toys but she makes it clear that she will not share her Tinkerbelle bed with her sister..."my sister can have my crib."

We cannot wait to make the trip to the other side of the world once again to witness our next miracle. The one thing that I am not looking forward to is the heat. We hear it is going to be very hot in China in August.

Here are some updated pictures of our daughter. She is getting so big without us and I just want to hold her and love her forever.

ON CLOUD 9

2011-04-16T20:34:00.003-04:00

God is AMAZING. Our journey to our second daughter is BEYOND amazing.

She was meant to be our daughter and we were meant to be her parents...there is no doubt about that.

I am so entirely blessed to introduce you to our daughter:

Chang Hui Xue
Born on 9-14-2009
Changchun City, Jilin Province China

So many details to share with all of you soon.

SEPTEMBER 2011

2011-04-10T23:41:00.003-04:00

HALAINAH GRACE - A TRUE MIRACLE FROM GOD

2011-03-28T11:32:00.014-04:00

Tony and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Halainah's heart was healed the minute we accepted her referral from China. God calmed our fears and he was in charge of her miraculous life.

When we arrived home from China back in January of 2009 we took Halainah to a very trusted Pediatric Cardiologist. He gave us great news that her heart condition was very minor, but could not give us a clear bill of health because she was too small. He wanted to give her more time to grow and he also thought that she would never sit still long enough for an Echo cardiogram (ultrasound of her heart). So he sent us home and advised us to return 2 years later.

March 24th 2011 has now become a very signifant day for our family. Halainah has been diagnosed as "100% healthy with a beautiful heart" by her trusted and well liked Cardiologist. Halainah has been healed by our Lord and Savior. We are eternally grateful.

Our Cardiologist also commented on Halainah's spirit. "She's such a beautiful little girl, so full of energy and life."

She truly is our miracle from God. We love her more than anything in this world and she loves us. She will kiss our hands, forehead, lips and cheeks all day long. She tells us she loves us a bazillion times a day. She truly is heaven on earth.

Last Sunday in church, an older woman approached us after mass was over and stated, "For the rest of my life, I will never forget your daughter kissing your hands and telling you how much she loves you." She told us it touched her deeply.

Thank you Lord for holding Halainah in the palm of your hand!!

A VALENTINE FROM GOD

2011-02-13T21:02:00.009-05:00

"For God so loVed the world
that He gAve
His one and onLy Son
That who Ever
Believes iN Him
Shall noT
PerIsh but have
EterNal
LifE"

John 3:16

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY

2011-02-03T19:02:00.006-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year - The Year Of The Rabbit

If you were born in 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, or 2011 - you were born under the sign of the rabbit.

I was born under the sign of the rabbit and it's said that like the rabbit, you are one of the cuddliest and sweetest creatures in the Chinese Zodiac.

Ok so I don't know about that because the cuddliest and sweetest little goofy goober I know is my beautiful Halainah Grace Qinyang.

Just because I thought it would be neat to see...here is my greatest gift from God through all the years we have been blessed with her.

2009

2010

2011

Our family is going through some very difficult times right now.
Please pray for us!
(It has nothing to do with a referral)

AND WE ARE BACK

2011-01-15T23:24:00.012-05:00

We are back from our much needed break. Sorry for the lack of blogging. We stepped away for a while to enjoy our very blessed Christmas.

It truly was a joyous year this year as Christmas day was spent with some very special people in our lives. And we loved spending the day with them. Thank you all for making our holiday special and for making it a Christmas that Halainah will never forget.

Santa was very good to Halainah this year. Although she did not receive a sister for Christmas, she did receive a bike, a scooter, a robot, a camera, games for her IXL and a giant dollhouse which were all among her favorites.

The wait for Halainah's Mei Mei is getting harder and harder as the months pass. We truly thought that we would have been matched by now. We know it is all in God's plan and timing, it's just hard to accept that timing sometimes.

Please keep us in your prayers as the next list will be released this coming week and we are down on our knees, praying that this is the time...God's time to bring our daughter to us.

I hope to update more frequently as I have missed recording so much of our precious miracle's everyday life happenings. Like, Halainah is so loving. She gives us a million kisses a day telling us how much she loves us. She says, "I'm so happy Mama. You happy Mama?" She is so silly...the silliest little girl I know. She loves to sing, "You're a goofy goober yeah!! I'm a goofy goober yeah!" She LOVES her grandma and will tell us a bazillion times a day, "I miss Grandma, I love Grandma." When Grandma goes home, it usually results in a major breakdown. She has the memory of an Elephant. You only have to tell her something once and she will remember it. And if she places something somewhere she will always remember where it is. So if we loose anything in the house, we go to Halainah to find it. She plays a mean game of Memory.

I have also been doing a terrible job of taking pictures. I used to have my camera in my hand at all times and have missed so many terrific Kodac moments. So for now, I have a few pics that I have been able to capture that I will add.

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and that 2011 will be the most glorious year for all.

I for one am hoping my next post will have some very exciting news. We hope...we pray...we trust in his plan.

And I have been dreaming of China!!

"Santa" surprised us all with a new bike for Halainah. Thank you Opa!

Halainah at church bringing her gift so that another little 3 year old girl has a special Christmas too.
Looking cute playing in her playroom which is now called, "my room" by my little princess.

So beautiful, she takes my breathe away.

Halainah loves her cousin Tyler so so so much. She talks about him almost everyday.

Her cousin Tyler and cousins Sultana and Sasha gave Halainah this beautiful designer jacket for Christmas. She loves it and will tell anyone who listens that Ty Ty gave it to her.
We have been buried in tons and tons of snow this winter. Spring cannot come soon enough.Playing in the snow with Daddy.
Halainah did not like her giant dollhouse at first. I think it was overwhelming. She told me to call Ho Ho (Santa) and tell him to come take it back. Now she loves it.
Halainah's pink Christmas tree, although she is standing in front of it.

Talk to you all soon...don't forget to pray that this month is "THE" month.

TIS THE SEASON AND A BIRTHDAY

2010-12-08T10:18:00.025-05:00

Every time I sit down to write a post something else seems to pop up. Life is in full force with our family as I am sure it is with yours. Once September ends...the rest of the year just flies on by.

My sweet Halainah turned 3 in November. We had a wonderful birthday party with family. We kept it a little more simple this year. But all in all it was a terrific day. She was so excited for her birthday and she talked about it for months. In fact, she still thinks it's her birthday. We were in church on Sunday and they were lighting the Advent wreath. I told her to look up while they lit the candle and whispered, "isn't it beautiful?" And she whispered back to me, "yeah it's for my birthday." She's so precious.

Opa (My dad and Lainey's grandpa) gave her such a sweet sweet present for her birthday....so generous. I am still in awe.

Halainah had her 3 year checkup yesterday. She is one healthy little girl...thank the Lord. She currently weighs in at 29 pounds and is 35" tall. She falls into the 25th percentile for weight and 10th percentile for height. "Keep Growing Baby...Keep Growing!"

My brother flew in from Colorado the week of her party. Halainah loves her Jiu Jiu and was so happy to see him. Even though they don't see each other that often there is a great bond. After all, he was with us in China. We all miss him terribly.

The Christmas season is upon us. So we are busy, busy, busy. Halainah is very much like her Daddy. She LOVES Christmas. She gets so excited to see decorations in stores and on houses. She screams with delight at every Christmas tree, ornaments, snowmen, anything that is sparkly. Halainah understands Santa and will point to anything she wants and says "Ho Ho bring me that." Yes Santa is Ho Ho in our house. We hear "Ho Ho bring me that," At least 25 times a day. At first...it was very cute...now...not so much.

We allowed, Halainah to take the tag off of our giving tree at Church a few weeks back. Out of all the tags on the tree, she grabbed one that belongs to a 3 year old little girl who wants a sweater and a doll. We sat Halainah down and explained the importance of sharing what we have with someone who may not have as much. She was very excited to help. And we picked the most beautiful Christmas sweater we could find. As far as the doll part comes. That took a little more explaining for Halainah. You see, Halainah is in love with the Lalaloopsy dolls. Have you seen them? Well Jiu Jiu bought her one for her birthday...the blue one that she had to have. That took Jiu Jiu 6 stores to find it in. Well, she never puts it down. In fact, she wants a pink Lalaloopsy from Ho Ho. I told her, "I wasn't sure if Ho Ho could bring it this year." They are impossible to find now. Her reply was, "OK....Jiu Jiu buy it for me then." Let me tell you, she has an answer for everything. Anyway, I bought a Lalaloopsy for this little 3 year old girl as part of her present since she wants a doll too. It was a little hard for Halainah to understand that she is not the only one who deserves a Lalaloopsy.

On the adoption front...well...we are still waiting. There have been 2 lists that have been released since we have been logged in. Our daughter was not on either one of them. Prayers are in full force. Halainah told me she wants a sister for Christmas. So maybe if the Lord above feels it's our time, our daughter will be given to us for Christmas. Wouldn't that just be the best Christmas ever? "Hey Ho HO....you and the Lord need to get together on this one."

I will try to update more often. Especially if there is any news on our next miracle. This weekend will be spent baking cookies for endless hours and taking pictures with Santa.

May you all be surrounded by the love of your family during this glorious Christmas season.

God Bless.

Sorry for the bazillion pics...but that's what happens when you ignore your blog for so long.

Jiu Jiu gave Lainey this adorable monster towel.
One of my favorite pics...so happy to be with Jiu Jiu.
Loving Jiu Jiu some more.

Mama and Lainey making a wish before she blew out the candles.
Opening some of her gifts.
Opening her Uggs from Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Mario.
Can you tell how excited I was?
Jiu Jiu gave Lainey a Denver Colorado shirt...it's eventually where we want to live.
On the day Jiu Jiu was leaving....so sad to be without him again.
Lainey holding her blue Lalaloopsy that Jiu Jiu got her for her birthday.
Looking cute on Thanksgiving.
Still looking cute.
Even more cuteness for her 3 year checkup.
All bundled up searching for our family Christmas tree.
Such a Daddy's girl...you have no idea.

We gave Lainey a trampoline for her birthday.
So happy.
So beautiful.

ONE LAST CHRISTMAS

2010-12-05T23:58:00.005-05:00

Honestly, I have no words...just many many tears. And thanking the Lord that my problems in life are so very very small.

LITTLE BO PEEP

2010-11-01T23:52:00.017-04:00

Doesn't Halainah just make the cutest Little Bo Peep you have ever seen?

Seriously, I could just squeeze her all day!

She called herself "Little Peep."

"Stop taking pictures daddy...I want to trick or treat!"

Can you see the excitement on the girls faces? Cousin Norman was in charge of the girls...not sure how excited he was.

I snapped this picture right after she scored her first treat. Her pure excitement just melted my heart.

Halainah and Cassandra, cousins just 6 months apart. When Halainah got home from her busy day Trick or Treating with Cassandra, she told me, "I miss Cassey." "I lub Cassey Mama!" So cute!
This is my favorite pic of the day. Her feet aren't even touching the ground!

Don't you wish you were still a child, so carefree, so happy...I sure do!

"Hey, wait for me Cassey."

Awwwww...is that not the cutest thing ever? Cassey taking Lainey by the hand...so stinkin cute!

Little Bo Peep getting tired after a long exciting day!

I can see these two cousins being close for life!

Walking home to look through our stash of goodies. Trick or Treating is hard work.

Halainah is about to turn 3 in a couple of weeks. What a cute age!! We had so much fun with her this Halloween. She made sure she said Trick or Treat when she got to the door. She made sure she said thank you. And she made sure to say Happy Halloween to everyone who gave her a treat! Sometimes 3 or 4 times. Oh my...she was so darn cute!!

PUMPKIN PICKING

2010-10-25T22:45:00.011-04:00

We were finally able to take a little time out of our hectic schedules and enjoy the beautiful fall weather while pumpkin picking at a local farm near our home. Halainah was so excited, she wanted every pumpkin she saw. And as you can see there were a lot of pumpkins.

She loved being pulled on the cart by her daddy.

And soon picked her own pumpkin, placed it on the cart and jumped back on for another ride.

And jumped back off again to try and get Mommy and Daddy to buy her just 1 more pumpkin. Who could resist that beautiful face?

Halainah was mesmerized by all of the gorgeous fall displays.

This was my favorite picture of the day. Halainah stopped to take a break and enjoy her pumpkin cookie sitting on top of a pumpkin that was bigger than her.

After we picked pumpkins, enjoyed all the fall displays, bought some apple cider and apple cider donuts and ate a pumpkin cookie, we took Halainah to see some animals on the farm. The animals weren't cooperating so you won't see them in our pictures. Except for...
This beautiful horse, who was very friendly. Halainah liked him, except when he turned around to walk away. Then she yelled, "ewwwww Mama...his butt is dirty!"

Which apparently was the funniest part of our day. She cracked herself up for a good 15 minutes after that one. And she had an audience of other onlookers who apparently thought she was hysterical as well.

It was a beautiful fall day and a lot of memories were created that day. I love my beautiful, pumpkin loving, hysterically funny little miracle so very much.

LID

2010-10-18T23:09:00.011-04:00

Ok...seriously...we only had to wait 5 weeks to find out that our LID is September 17, 2010. That was an excruciating wait. I can only imagine how hard the wait is going to be until we see our next miracle for the first time.

So this means that we can be matched at any time. We are now officially waiting for the Lord to find our daughter and hand deliver her to us. We trust in his plan.

Halainah is getting so big. It's hard to believe that she is going to be 3 next month. Where has the time gone?

She is still a giant ray of light who is always happy and always jumping and never stands still long enough to take a picture.

She says the funniest things like:
Me: "what is your name?"
Halainah: "Halainah Grace"
Me: "what is your last name?"
Halainah: "Hannah Montana"

A few weeks ago we went back to Sesame Place for the Halloween Spectacular. Halainah keeps saying, that she loves Halloween and monsters are scary. This is one of the only pictures we took at Sesame Place, because again, Halainah is never still.

And a few recent pictures that we tried to take, all of which were very hard to capture. They are not the best pictures, but that's my Lainey Girl!!

Shhhhh....a new list will be released this week. I wonder if our daughter is on that list.

THANK YOU JIU JIU AND TIA

2010-10-06T23:30:00.007-04:00

"Jiu Jiu buy me this."

"Look, Monkey!"

"I Lub Monkey!"

"Put On, Pink Monkey."

"I Lub Jiu Jiu and Tia!"

I just love 2 year old, soon to be 3 year old conversations with my amazing daughter.

"Thank you Jiu Jiu and Tia for my new Monkey shirt. And don't I still look adorable in my monkey suit from last year?"

P.S. No news on the adoption front. We are still awaiting for the CCAA to assign our LID.

P.S.S. Yes I am frustrated about that!

P.S.S.S. We already missed out on September's list!

DTC BABY!!

2010-09-10T11:08:00.007-04:00

We are officially DTC. Which means, our agency has reviewed our Dossier and approved it. And it is being sent to China today. So our DTC date is September 10, 2010. Our LID (Log In Date) will be about 2 weeks from today.

That means....once we receive our LID we can be matched at any time. It could take a month to be matched, it could take a year, it could take longer.

There is nothing left to do but...wait...and...PRAY!

This is a huge accomplishment. We have been paperchasing for miracle #2 for over a year now. The paperwork does not normally take that long. But with my father-in-law being struck with Cancer and his homecoming with Jesus, we put our adoption plans on hold to care for him and grieve.

It feels really good to finally be at this point.

And I cannot wait to see our daughter's face for the very first time.

Oh and Halainah is so excited to meet her Mei Mei as well!

JUMPING IN WITH OUR EYES CLOSED

2010-09-01T22:57:00.007-04:00

That's exactly what we have done. We jumped right into our next adoption with our eyes closed.

We don't care if everyone thinks we are crazy to adopt once again and so soon.

And we have no idea how we are going to finance the rest of this amazing journey.

But what we do know, is that our daughter is waiting for us on the other side of the world. And we need her as much as she needs us.

So with our eyes closed and our hearts WIDE open. We are allowing God to lead us directly where he wants us to be. And we TRUST in him...COMPLETELY!

Our Dossier (all of the paperwork that took many many months to complete) is now finished and is currently sitting on a UPS truck making its way to our agency's door.

How exciting is that?

Hopefully it will be reviewed and approved with zero errors. And hopefully it will be sent to China on September 10th so that we can receive our LID (Log In Date).

Once that happens...our official wait to our next miracle will begin!

Let this miracle unfold right before our eyes...closed and all!

SWEET ORGANIZATION

2010-08-29T23:42:00.007-04:00

It feels so incredibly wonderful to finally have Halainah's toys organized. I guess you can say that I am sort of "nesting" again for the arrival of our second miracle.

We have attempted to turn our enclosed front porch into a play room for Halainah and her Mei Mei numerous times. Each attempt failed.

But now, we finally got it right. Oh and it feels so good. Gone are the days of being buried under piles of books, stuffed animals, puzzles and art supplies. Everything has a place with tons of room to grow since our family will be growing by 1 more little angel whom I am guessing will have a love for toys as well.

Sweet Organization.

Compliments of Ikea and the totally fabulous Expedit shelves.

Halainah loves, loves, LOVES her new room.

UPDATES: LIFE & ADOPTION

2010-08-19T21:17:00.009-04:00

I know most of you are thinking the same thing that I am thinking, "Where on earth has the summer gone?" I cannot believe that we are nearing the end of August already.

We have had a fun summer full of days spent at the beach, tons of birthday parties, days spent outdoors playing, day trips to the zoo, different parks, and Sesame Place. I have a bazillion photos that I will share soon...hopefully before the summer is over.

September is drawing near and I am already thinking about Halloween, Halainah's 3rd birthday, and Christmas...I know...I know...don't rush it!!

And as we are trying to enjoy that end of summer and squeeze in all the things that we weren't able to do this summer, or squeezing in as much beach time as we possibly can...we are also running full steam ahead with Mei Mei's adoption.

So in my last update, I posted that:

1. Our Dossier was sent to the Chinese Consulate for Authentication
2. We were awaiting our fingerprint appointments for our I-797 Approval
3. And we were trying to reach our deadline of the end of September to have our Dossier in our Agencies hand.

WELL...and I capitalized that because there are ALWAYS mountains to climb in the adoption world.

1. Our Dossier was REJECTED at the Chinese Consulate for Authentication because it now needs to be hand delivered in person. Aghhhhhh!! Information my agency should have told us, rather than wasting precious weeks and money since it cost me to send it to them with a return label.

But today, we all jumped into the car and braved the short trek into the city. I like the city...but do not like traveling into the city. But we made it, we drove in ourselves and were able to accomplish the task at hand. So in a few days we will trek back into the city to retrieve our documents...our final step in the paperchasing phase of our journey.

2. The Great news is that we finally received our appointments to get our fingerprints done and we went and accomplished that task. AND we received our I-797 approval within a week after our fingerprint appointments. For Halainah's adoption it took 7 weeks to receive our approval from the date of our fingerprint appointments. That was truly by the grace of God.

3. I believe that we will be ahead of our deadline for our Dossier to be at our agency because of this. We have a document that will expire in October that is why it is so important to have our Dossier in China before October 15th.

So we are so close to finally being logged in. And once we receive our Log in Date, the rest is left up to God. He will find our daughter and bring her to us through this amazing miracle of Adoption. It could be 1 month from Log In....it could be a year...it could be longer...only HE knows. And we trust him fully.

I'm sorry that I have been such a bad blogger and I have neglected some of my most favorite blogs. I promise I will be back to normal...or at least a new normal soon.

Below are a few photos we recently took to submit to China with our Dossier.

God Bless!!

HAPPY 2 YEAR REFERRAL DAY

2010-08-13T22:40:00.006-04:00

Happy 2 year referral day my most precious gift from God. Our lives were forever changed the day we saw your sweet smile. You truly are an angel sent from above. We love you so very very much baby girl.

Thank you Lord, for our miracle.

100 MINUS 1 DAY

2010-08-08T00:49:00.003-04:00

"If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.”

- Winnie the Pooh

Happy 12 year anniversary baby! It truly has been an amazing journey and it just keeps getting better!

I love you, today, tomorrow and forever!!

MY GROWING BEACH BUNNY

2010-07-05T22:42:00.011-04:00

Sometimes I wish I could wave a magic wand and make time stand still. This weekend was way too short. And I wish we had 1 more day to spend as a family until we have to hit the grind of the work week again. The highlight of our weekend was finally making it to the beach. Halainah has not seen the beach since our fabulous trip to North Carolina last year thanks to Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Mario...now that was a great vacation. Halainah has certainly grown in a year's time. It's so hard to imagine our life without her. And I cannot wait until we have 2 little China dolls to love and spoil. Halainah needs a Mei Mei and we are getting closer to our second miracle.

Halainah yelled "yeah beach," as soon as we pulled up. And she took her daddy's hand and walked him straight towards the waves.

She was so happy to smell the fresh saltwater air and see the waves crashing against the shore.

The smile on her face melted my heart. I love to see my baby happy.

She stood waiting for the first wave to reach her little toes.

And squealed with delight "cold mama...cold!"

Before long she was playing and splashing in the water regardless of how cold it was.

After a while she decided it was time to enjoy some breakfast on the beach. Hard boiled eggs...her favorite...served on the beach...now that is the life.

Am I adorable or what? My baby has grown so much in 1 year.

Last year sporting the same bathing suit on the beautiful shores of North Carolina. My beach bunny was my baby beach bunny. Look how small she was.

Ahhhh....time flies way too quickly.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Mei Mei's adoption Update:
1. We have our fingerprint appointments which are in a few weeks.

2. Our dossier has been state certified and has been sent to the Chinese Consulate to be authenticated.

3. We are still shooting for a LID (Log In Date) for end of September or early October. We are praying!

EVERY 18 SECONDS

2010-06-25T10:50:00.004-04:00

Recently I was asked why I was adopting another child.

"If you had a few hours I may be able to lay out my hearts desires to you."

Instead I simply listed a few reasons to this person.

But what I wasn't expecting was the reply I received.

"Don't you think it's foolish to spend all that money on a child that isn't yours?" "Why not spend the money for invitro-fertilization so that your child is truly yours."

IGNORANCE...PURE IGNORANCE!

I have a lot of praying to do for that poor poor soul.

Because of us, there will be 2 less orphans in the world.

Life After 18 Seconds, our story, was named because statistically every 18 seconds a child is orphaned in this world. On the 19th second is where our story began and continues to be written through God's grace.

ENJOYING OUR SUMMER

2010-06-22T16:47:00.019-04:00

What have we been up to?

Enjoying our summer of course!

A few weeks ago we went to Sesame Place to celebrate Cousin Tyler's 4th birthday.

We had a blast and Halainah's expressions were truly priceless.

Cousin Tyler and his mama Sultana.

Playing Peek A Boo in the garden!

Taking long bicycle rides which Halainah loves!

Celebrating cousin Vincent's first birthday. How cool is that cake?

The proud parents, Uncle Joe and Aunt Chrissy with the birthday boy, cousin Vincent.

Beautiful cousin Leanna with her baby doll that has a matching dress.

An attempt at getting the youngest cousins together for a picture, Halainah, Vincent and Leanna.

Halainah showing off her new big bird doll from Vincent's party.

Lainey and Grandma. Grandma has been staying with us on and off to help babysit. Lainey LOVES her Mamaw!

Lainey going through her goody bag from the party. Her adorable tutu skirt was made special for her from cutie pie Lexi's mama over here.

And of course feeding the fish at the end of the day...which she loves! If it was up to her she would feed the fish 20 times a day.

Mei Mei's adoption update.

1. No we have not been matched yet.

2. Our I800A has been mailed and we are waiting for our fingerprint appointments.

3. Our dossier is complete and has been mailed to be state certified. Once that is returned back to us it will be sent to the Chinese Consulate to be authenticated.

4. We have a deadline that our dossier needs to be in China by the end of September. I sure hope we meet that deadline.

THE PERFECT NAME

2010-06-05T22:28:00.004-04:00

ME: Halainah, What do you think we should name your Mei Mei (little sister)?

HALAINAH: Ummmm...Butter!

RIDING IN STYLE

2010-05-23T19:35:00.012-04:00

For those that have been following our blog for a long time will know that our family is totally addicted to consignment shops. There is one in the center of town here called "Repeat Boutique." Isn't that a clever name?

We frequent our consignment shop almost every weekend and Halainah and I have been known to stop in once or twice during the week. This weekend we struck gold with our new find.

So we were driving past the shop and I saw this fantastic bike trailer on the yard. So, I got out while Tony and Halainah parked the car. This place is constantly hopping and you basically have to run for what you want or you stand to loose it. So I ran to the trailer...but there was no price on it which usually means it was already sold. Tony met up with me and I told him I think that it's already sold. The owner of the shop was outside and overheard us and said, "nope it's not sold I just put it outside about 2 minutes before you came." So we went inside she got us the price and we told her we would look around and let her know if we wanted it. Well in the meantime another customer came in and wanted it. So the owner came to us and asked if we were taking it because someone else was interested in it. Tony quickly said, "nope it's ours...we are taking it."

In the meantime we continued to shop and the phone rang 5 times at least. And each time we heard the owner say, "no sorry, the bike trailer just sold." It was so funny...this thing was the hottest item in the shop.

So we told the owner we would pay for it but would come back to pick it up because the car was full of groceries. So she asked how far we lived...which is only about 2 minutes from the shop. She told us she was going that way anyway so she would follow us home and drop it off for us. That was so sweet. She also said, we did her a big favor by letting her drop it off because the phone would have rung off the hook and the shop would have been full of customers wanting it.

Anyway...Halainah loves it! We have yet to hook it up to our bikes yet...she's really going to love it once that happens. And the very best part of this bike trailer is...that if fits 2 sweet little kiddies in it. So Halainah and her Mei Mei will both be riding in style.

And speaking of Halainah's Mei Mei...our Homestudy was just approved and we will have it in our hands the beginning of this week. And the next step is applying for little Mei Mei's visa. Step by step we are getting closer.

I just told her she had to get out of the trailer and she was arguing with me.

But Mama...I want to relax in my new ride.

And just because Halainah is so dang cute...here's a few more pics.

Halainah loves feeding our fishies in our fishie pond.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

OUR POT OF GOLD

2010-05-17T00:20:00.015-04:00

First and foremost, I apologize that I have been neglecting my blogging duties. I especially apologize to my brother who lives so far away from us in Colorado because this is the only way that he gets to see his most cherished niece grow up. So that being said, I will try my hardest to keep up. Life has grown very busy in our household. When I do find a minute or two I have been spending it with Halainah trying to do fun mommy daughter activities.

So the exciting news that I have been wanting to share has hit a lot of obstacles and road blocks along the way this past month. But I am confidant that our Savior has it all worked out in his own miraculous way.

First, I am so proud to announce that my husband found a new job. A job that clearly was given to him by the grace of God. A job that he has deserved for the longest time. A job that he has wanted since the day he decided what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. And worked so very hard for, attending school at night after working all day long. Nine years after graduating he worked for a good company. But now he is the Head of IT at a huge company and is responsible for 6 locations. A big responsibility and one that I know he will not only succeed with but will offer him so many choices and advancements. I am so very proud of him. He has been working in his new role for over a month and is so happy and committed. It is so important to enjoy your job. I have no doubt that this is truly the beginning of a very rewarding career for him and our family.

I went back to work after almost 2 years of being a stay at home mom. It has been bittersweet for me. I enjoy my new job and it is only part time. But I so miss being at home with my most cherished treasure. I miss our daily routines and I simply miss Halainah. But I also like interacting with adults and learning new skill sets. I worked 10 years in the mortgage industry and am now in the health field working at a physical therapists office. I don't know what my future holds as a working mom. It's still a work in progress for me and has been difficult more than it has been rewarding...so we shall see.

But the biggest news is that Tony and I decided that we are going to enter the special needs program now with our current adoption rather than waiting. Our game plan was to enter the regular program and eventually switch to special needs once we believed the time was right. After praying together as a family, it was clear to us that our second daughter will be termed "special needs" by China. So why wait and stall the process? We need to jump fully in and not just get our feet wet and test the waters. So our next adoption is in full force. We have no fears, no reservations. We know our daughter is in China, we know that she has already been chosen by our Father for us, and we know that she will be healed by him regardless of her special need. We know that financially it does not matter either. For, we would spend every penny we have for our daughters. Even if it means that we have nothing left in our piggy banks. There is no price for a child.

So what is the timeline? How soon will we see our second miracle's beautiful face? We really don't know. We are praying that it will be the spring of 2011, maybe sooner. It all depends when God feels the time is right. In the meantime we are running full steam ahead, filling out countless forms and getting frustrated at all the bumps along the way. But looking so forward to our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, our precious miracle, Halainah's mei mei.

So there you have it. Our lives have changed drastically in this last month. A new, huge, job change and advancement for my husband. A new job for me, part time. And an important decision that will speed up our next adoption. It certainly has been crazy in our household but oh so very rewarding and exciting.

God Bless!

Of course I can never write a post and not add pictures so here are a few recent pictures of Halainah. She is getting so big. She is truly blossoming into her own little personality. So sweet, so caring, so funny, so happy, so full of life, so curious, so energetic, so spunky, so secure, so loving, so created by our Lord and always meant to be our daughter, destined to always be Halainah Grace.

Not so excited about taking a picture.

After being bribed with an M&M.

Halainah's loves her Playhouse.

And Mama loves it more because it was free.

Very first pony tail.
Loving the slide.

Blowing bubbles

NOW PLAYING...OUR CHINA ADOPTION VIDEO

2010-04-14T01:10:00.008-04:00

I feel such a huge sense of accomplishment this evening. I have been working on our China trip video for 2 months and I am finally finished. When we first started our adoption journey I would sit up late at night and watch every single video I could find on youtube that had to do with adoption or gotcha day. Believe me when I say, I have seen them all. Ironically, I did not choose youtube to host my video for many reasons.

I had no idea how I would even start to make my very own video so I let a year go by without starting it. About two months ago, I finally sat down and started to create. I put about 20 long hours into my project and POOF...within seconds, the program crashed and I lost all of my hard work. I was in tears and Tony felt terrible. Not only did the program crash, but my whole lap top crashed and the hard drive was destroyed.

Sweet hubby bought a new hard drive, fixed the laptop and found a new program for me to use. And what a blessing in disguise it was! Although, I must say I did throw a temper tantrum like a 2 year old...LOL. But the program I finally used is fantastic...I love it and once you got the hang of it...was simple to use.

Anyway, enough of my blabbering...If you would like to watch our journey please press play below.

or click here: http://vimeo.com/10914375...that will open it up through Vimeo and you can watch it on a larger scale. I do have to warn you...it is 14 minutes long!

Take Me Home from Deanna on Vimeo.

LOTS OF PICTURES...LITTLE WORDS

2010-04-08T00:06:00.016-04:00

We have a lot of exciting news to share with everyone...but not today.

In the mean time...enjoy the pictures from this past week. We have been busy, busy...BUSY!

On Saturday, we took Halainah to see Elmo Live...When Elmo Grows Up!
She had a blast. The expression on her face was priceless. She loved the show and had a smile on her face the entire time.

The theater was in a beautiful town with cobblestone streets. The scenery was gorgeous.

Playing with her Elmo toy waiting for the show to begin.

So excited to see Elmo live...she clapped and cheered...she was having such a great time

Afterwards, we went to Church and took some pictures outside.

Easter Sunday, we attended mass early in the morning.

Halainah was so excited that the Easter Bunny left goodies for her.

The weather has been so beautiful this past week. Today was 90 degrees. The sun is shining, the weather is warm, the trees and flowers are blooming and exciting changes are happening in our family. Life is good...God is great!

Many Blessings to each and everyone!

NEED SOME CUTENESS

2010-03-23T11:47:00.008-04:00

I have a heavy mind...Lots to think about! Lots of Changes need to take place.

So while I work through all of that, I need some cuteness in my life.

So here ya go:

A DAY AT WORK WITH DADDY

2010-03-19T10:53:00.004-04:00

Yesterday Halainah went to work with Daddy for the very first time, as I had two interviews scheduled. Halainah was very excited to wear her Elmo backpack full of fun activities to keep her busy at work. I was told she was a very good girl all day long. Daddy even took her to the park at lunchtime which apparently was the best part of her day. She talked about the slide, swings and seesaw all night long. I am so not used to being away from her all day long. I got a glimpse into what it's going to be like for me once I return back to work. Yuck! I don't like it. But I did get the biggest most warmest hugs and kisses when Halainah got home and she kept saying, "Mama, I'm home, I'm home Mama." Oh how I love my miracle more and more everyday!

JUST KEEP PUMPING

2010-03-16T16:18:00.002-04:00

That's all we can do at this point is to just keep pumping. We have 2 pumps set up in our basement right now that have continuously been going since Sunday Morning. At this point we have been able to get most of the water out but we are at a stand still right now. For every inch of water that we pump out another inch comes back in. I guess I should be happy that it's no longer filling up the basement. And now at 4:30 this afternoon the waters are receding and by morning we should have our street back. At that point we can hike up the hills here to get our cars back home. But good news...the calm has come after the wicked storm...and the sun is shining!

MATILDA JANE BLUES

2010-03-15T01:15:00.003-04:00

I Have the blues...the Matilda Jane Blues. I miss Matilda Jane. I haven't made a purchase since Christmas. I so want her new collection, Hammond Bay. It is so cute...every single outfit...so very cute! But with our next adoption and me not having a job and all...well it just doesn't fit in our budget right now. Even though I tell myself that if I buy some more Matilda Jane, than Halainah's Mei Mei can wear it too! Stinky...so NO Matilda Jane for me...I mean for Halainah.

Well I made myself feel better by throwing together a Matilda Jane Collage. So I can see my cutie in her ever so cute collection. Now can you see why I have an obsession?

Anyway, if you could...please say some prayers for us. We have been battling all this rain and unfortunately are getting flooded. The water has not entered our house yet...well except for a few inches in our basement. It has reached our front steps though. We will be getting up every few hours to evaluate the situation. The rivers around here are supposed to keep rising until Tuesday. So it's not looking so good for us. Thanks for your prayers!

Another free digital slideshow by Smilebox

THAWING OUT AND SOAKED

2010-03-12T15:46:00.017-05:00

This weather has been absolutely beautiful these last few days. Well except for today. The rain has started and it's not supposed to stop ALL weekend. BLUCK! I can't stand the rain since I almost always get a headache when the heavens are pouring. So looks like I will have a headache for the entire weekend. DOUBLE BLUCK!!

But at least my sweet precious little Lainey and I were able to go to the park on Wednesday. It was so beautiful out. 60 degrees never felt so good especially after being buried in record snowfalls this winter.

When I woke up (or should I say when Halainah woke up...my girl can sleep!) I told her we were going to the park to go on the slide and on the swings. Well that was all she needed to hear. She was at the door in her PJ's looking for her coat so we could go...go...go!

So we scrambled to get ready and threw down some breakfast. Once we got into the car and buckled up Halainah was determined to get to that park. I was letting the car run for a little while and she yelled..."GO MAMA!" And when the car started to roll she said, "WEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

As soon as we pulled up to the park, she took off strait to the playground! With no help from Mama she was able to climb and slide and move around. Last year she had a hard time on the playground equipment and needed help with just about everything.

Sniff...sniff....my little angel is growing up.

I hope that we are thawed out for good around our neck of the woods. I would love to make tons more visits to the park with my angel.

Have a great weekend and stay dry if you are getting pelted with all of this rain!

PS...is anyone else's munchkin addicted to Yo Gabba Gabba? Personally I can't stand the show but for some crazy reason....Halainah LOVES it!! Ughhhhh

Running strait to the playground!

"I did it Mama!"

Stopping for a snack!

Stopping for a drink!

2 minutes after we left the park! It's tough being a 2 year old!

BACK FROM A BREAK

2010-03-09T12:38:00.011-05:00

I took a little blog break for a while and it felt good. The house was cleaned top to bottom (aghhhh feels so good). All the laundry is done (also feels good). And Grandma came to spend 5 days with us (we love when Grandma comes to visit)!

Lainey loves having Granda here. She calls grandma "Mamaw" and I'm not sure that's going to change. I love the way she says it...so cute! Mamaw played and cuddled with Lainey and gave her tons of kisses and made her whatever she wanted and fed her tons of snacks. Lainey was in pure heaven.

So last night after dinner since Grandma went home earlier, Lainey grabbed the phone and wanted to call Mamaw. She called her to tell her she loved her, missed her and to hurry back for another visit.

Other than that, we have been trying to enjoy this nice weather we are having....it feels like Spring outside. Lainey was able to ride her bike outside for a while and go for a walk. I hope this weather is here to stay.

It is VERY hard to take pictures of Halainah lately since she NEVER sits still! So I tried to capture her in her room playing. You'll notice she is all over the place! Ahhhh the joys of having a 2 year old...but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

How cute are those sneakers?

Notice that she put the baby doll into the daddy's arms...melts my heart!

Always jumping...never standing!

Now in her rocking chair!

Now laying on the floor!

TADA! Now still for a split second!