Wednesday

Today is the first day I remained awake during the girls nap time. It's a challenge because I lie down with AnnaBelle. And most of the time Im so tired I go to sleep. Today, I needed some mommy time alone and wanted to eat icecream alone. It's life's simple pleasures.
Yesterday we did our first post adoption home study. It was crazy. Glad it's done.
The girls are so busy! AnnaBelle jabbers and make messes as she toddles around. I like to just watch her. Today she mimicked Joy dancing. It was so cute! Joy hugged her while they rode the backyard slide down. AnnaBelle was all smiles! It might have been her first sliding experience. She is feeding herself with a spoon. She took a bath alone last night and loved splashing! She says "bye bye", "meow", "momma", "baba(daddy)", "jei jei(big sister)" and has learned to growl. She is happiest when she is eating! No kidding.  She loves to be outside. She pushes Joys baby stroller everyday. She likes her room and toys. She is playful and so happy! It's amazing to see what love can do in two weeks to a sweet child.  She is beautiful and tiny. Joy is grown up, smart, creative and independent. I'm so thankful to be home!

Happy Home

Feels so good to be home!
AnnaBelle is adjusting and is full of life. We are working through some sleep disturbance and the ability to put herself back to sleep. Jet lag for me continues. But its going to take time. Children really are such a delight from the Lord. It melts my heart to see the girls play together. Joy shared her bath last night with AnnaBelle. I asked her if she enjoyed sharing her bathtime and she said "oh yes". She tickled AnnaBelles toes during the bath and enjoyed making her giggle. There are moments of needing a referee while everyone learns to share toys and space. Joy has been so grownup and AnnaBelle motors around and talks babble we cannot understand. I am so glad to hear her babble and watch her toddle around. She has alot of personality and has moments of showing that she is infact a 2 year old. Yes, temper fits are present.
Yesterday she rode in the carseat for the second time. And fell asleep before Hartley. She didnt cry but looked around and started dreaming. The ride home from the airport in the dark and the first carride was much different and less peaceful.
Natasha, my travel companion of all time went back to Denver on Saturday. I have missed her already. We had such a good time together. She is going to be a great mom and I hope somewhere in her spreadsheet includes a return to China for a baby girl.
Easter was a beautiful day and Joy soaked up dying Easter eggs in the front yard. AnnaBelle loves to eat eggs and kept trying to peel the hard exterior. Joy was a bit distraught over the eggs that were partially peeled and picked at. The girls were so pretty in their Easter dresses! AnnaBelle has such tiny feet and wore these sparkly 9-12mos shoes Aunt B got her at Christmas. Joy on the other hand has large feet and longer legs than a month ago. She grew while I was away for two weeks.
I am so thankful for my two girls and thoughtful husband, Milton. I am thankful to be home again and live in this small town with no rush hour traffic or public transportation. Im thankful for the sunshine that I can see and feel on my face. The Lord has such a sweet plan for our lives, if we can let go and trust Him. He is trustworthy. I didnt think I would survive being away from Joy for two weeks. I cried taking off in Denver and in San Fransisco. But when we held AnnaBelle for the first time 2 weeks ago in the Cival Affairs office in Zhengzhou, I was certain we were right in the bullseye of where the Lord wanted us to be. Holding this small and afraid two year old who cried like an infant, I knew why we had traveled so far. What if we had not come? For days she slept with one eye open making sure we were still present. Making sure I had not laid her down. In addition AnnaBelle was not well, she was sick with more going on than we realized intially. She cried and I cried. I felt guilty that we had no come sooner which was out of our control. A child should always be held. Always have a family. Always feel loved. Always kissed and hugged. Every orphan needs a family and love. Slowly each day she began to come out of her timid shell and trust us a little more for her care and constant love and affection. After a few days she began calling me "Ni ni" meaning Nanny. Then the next day she called me "momma". The greatest words to hear! We learned that her orphanage was one of the largest in that providence. It holds 600 children minus our 1 and another Violet, who was matched with a forever family on our travel group. There are so many children and not enough caretakers. We were told the children from her floor of 100 often shut down for 3-4 days crying alot. It was a reliable report. We chose not to visit but could have as both girls were having a difficult transition. I had planned to visit but on that day- it was obvious AnnaBelle was not up for the return to her orphanage. In 16 years I may regret that decision but it was the best one for that day and her emotional ability to cope. We had a couple adopting in our group that were both Pediatricians. I was so thankful when AnnaBelle was sick that they were willing to come to our room to see her. I had prayed for a Dr on our trip and he gave us 2 wonderful Christian people. Milton and I learned to know and very much enjoyed being with and respecting. Milton and I began praying over AnnaBelle daily for her health and emotional restoration. She was so timid and dependant but withdrawn. Like watching a flower grow and bloom, so has AnnaBelle. I see her motoring around the house making a big mess of the refrigerator magnets and she is a miracle! She has evolved and is fully alive! She is loved, she is our daughter, she is a sister, she is a cousin, she is a granddaughter and she is home!

First...

AnnaBelle had some first today I wanted to note...
She had cheesy macaroni and cheese.
Big first  she fed  herself independently!
She used her sippy cup today.
She wore her first tutu with Big Sis Joy and danced together.
We played outside and Joy pulled her on the trike. She is too short to reach petals.
She saw Louis for the first time. (She is afraid of him)
She watched Joy take a bath and hopefully will decide to join her soon.
She walked in the grass with shoes on, just a few steps in. Don't think she had ever seen it.
She played with her Big Sister!
She blew kisses today and waved bye saying bye bye!!! (Precious)
She wore her first rain boots and liked them. Was hilarious to watch her navigate with them on.
She had a food allergy reaction and has her first red rash.
Today was her FIRST day with her Forever family!
As I watched the girls play and run and giggle, I couldn't help but wander what AnnaBelle was doing without us and what were we doing without her?
I am so thankful God wrote our story with hers!!

Home Sweet Home

Guangzhou

We made it home late last night. We were welcomed by sweet friends and a loving family! Funny thing was, AnnaBelle was fussing the last 15min of the flight from Houston and had done so well. And she went to sleep mid fit. Really she did. Everyone was waiting to see her sweet smile and she fell asleep right before we landed. I strapped her in the ergo and she stayed asleep while everyone greeted her with happy tears. She fussed about her carseat ride, first time until Dumas then fell asleep. We were weary travelers! It was about 30 hours home, 12 time zones, a stop in Tokyo and many meals on the airplane coming home. AnnaBelle was a peach on the 12 hour flight Tokyo to Houston. She was so good. She slept most of the long flight home. She is teething both bottom molars and those have really hurt her. Especially the pressure flying. We made it though! Natasha Nightengale was a huge help, she was my banker, my pack mule and great company to laugh with at the end of the day. So thankful for her being my travel companion. Oh yea and she was always hauling dirty diapers to the airplane "lavatory". Big thanks Tasha!! By yesterday AnnaBelle was saying "Tasha". Very sweet. Today was our first day at home. AnnaBelle and Joy played hard together. She gave Joy her first kiss. AnnaBelle had not kissed anyone until today. Then she started blowing kisses and waving bye bye. Melting your heart yet? She babbled to Joy through both meals and we just giggled. She made many messes with the refrigerator magnets and dumping things out.  It was so fun to watch her play and hear her giggle and smile.  The trip was long, it was long in country but it was worth ever bit! Watching the girls dance silly in their tutu skirts from Meemaw today was so sweet. I am so glad to be home with my family!  And Im thankful to live in the USA. 

Clinic Day and the Zoo

Sweet smile!

It's Monday night here. We had clinic day today, each child was seen by general dr, ENT and wt and size taken by nurse. Then they drew labs for TB test. That was so
traumatic! They whisked the kids away and the parents waited outside. My AnnaBelle
was very scared when she came out. Our group went on a water boat cruise tonight and
had dinner. It was nice. The food was interesting but the ride was beautiful! 
AnnaBelle is busy playing and babbling beside me. Babble in Chinese is so funny to
listen to. Very sweet. She was so busy today. At lunch she dumped her bowl of rice
when she was finished. She has shown more independence and wanted down to walk more.
She has the sweetest giggle ever. 
Guangzhou has 17 million people here. It's closer to the coast so it's humid and
rainy. A very pretty city and much cleaner. I am counting down the days to leave for
home. I cannot wait to see my Joy girl and be home with both girls. AnnaBelle has
such a sweet disposition. When she plays she lines things up then moves them and
lines them back up. She is still sleeping with me which is interesting and will have
to be dealt with at home. For now we are snuggling. I bet she has never been
snuggled so much, if ever! It's bath and bedtime. 
The kids in our group are feeling better. Several have been sick. AnnaBelle was sick
first and others had different sickness. Goodnight from the noodle and sticky rice
nation. And millions of people. You cannot imagine the traffic and people. 

Clinic day

Natasha, AnnaBelle and Mommy

Tuesday at the zoo

Morning its Sunday. We are in Guangzhou for the last leg of the trip. I am so eager
to be home. AnnaBelle is doing good. We are working through nighttime sleep
disturbances. Been a little rough. She is smiling and babbling things I cannot
understand. Yesterday on the plane she was talking babble Chinese to the man next to
the window. He pulled the window closed which she didn't approve.  I love
seeing her smile and babble!  Her smile is so sweet. This week we will have a clinic
day, a tb test done, VISA interview and then print the child's vISA. Friday we
come home!!!  There are options for touring each day. 
Milton is stuck in Denver due to a snow storm overnight. Pray he gets home quickly.
He is traveling alone and Joy has been waiting for his return. She was teary when we
did FaceTime.  I'm equally missing her! 
Today I have to get diapers and wipes. That will require a taxi to Walmart. Should
be interesting. 
Our plane was very delayed coming here for a lightening storm. Natasha had a long
delayed flight coming in. 
We are good. I hope this week is Godspeed! 

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday

Thursday;

Yesterday and today have been transition days. She hasn'tt felt since we got
her.  AnnaBelle really clings to me which makes simple things like bathing hard. She
is beautiful. She is sensitive. She is tiny. She is a good eater. She doe not like
bathes. She is timid. Last night we had dinner with our friends from travel group
and kids. AnnaBelle  enjoyed the  kids and was 
 content watching them. We had real Chinese food and it was good. And we enjoyed the
company of new friends. I am missing Joy and jealous of Milton's return home
Saturday. AnnaBelle has enjoyed walks in her Ergo carrier and often naps. A woman
came up to me today with her in the Ergo. She was a local and started chatting
mandarin at me. She wasn't reprimanding me but could have.  She wanted to know
the gender of the baby and was in my space. Removing the blanket over sleeping
 AnnaBelle. I finally said, girl.  Americans stand out because of our skin and hair
then add a Chinese baby!! The whispers and looks are no secret. 
Today the paper trail was our guides busyness. Gathering passports for all the kids.
And a thick brown envelope. The Halfv Sky Foundation had worked AnnaBelles floor at
the orphanage and created a scrapbook. It's all in Mandarin so I will need
translation but had pictures we never saw. Glad to have it!  AnnaBelle played the
most we have seen. She seemed more content and ate more. She likes steamed eggs. She
took two smaller naps and a big one.  I know she has grieved as her entire world has
changed! I have grieved with her. I have cried for the length of time it took to get
her. I have apologized to her.  It's been a big week. Emotional. 
Today was sunny but cool. The wind cleared the smog.  It's so full of people
and buildings, traffic. I braved leaving AnnaBelle with Milton to go
 to the locals market street for little girls shoes. It was interesting! If there
isn't room on the street people drive on the sidewalk! They have the right
away. It's bizarre. Locals have booths of fruit to buy. And local restraints
to eat at. I never would because of sickness. It was poverty stricken. Sad to see.
Dirty dirty. Where we are in the city it's clean and someone is always
cleaning.

Finally Friday! 
Milton was packing to leave. AnnaBelle had a great day! She played
and walked the halls today. Tmrw he flys home and I fly to Guangzhou for 
AnnaBelles visa. 

Saturday.
Too pooped. Boarded the bus at ten am.     Got here at 730 with tired,
hungry, dirty wild kids! AnnaBelle walked again today. She laughed 
and smiled.  I'm so tired.