Summer, Parties, and Potties

Are we really already half way through summer break? Well for our family, we spend a lot of time at home just hanging out because it is an enormous deal to try and venture out with two two year olds. We bought a little pool for the girls and they spend hours in it...splashing and having fun. I am really missing our pool from our old house. Summer with a pool...and then summer without a pool...hmmm...need to budget that in again! That pool brought our family together, along with all the kids in the neighborhood! Which I might add, did not bother me at all!

We spent the 4th with our family and some friends. It was really fun! We also surprised my brother with gifts and a cake for his 30th birthday! For those of you that know him, know this already but for those of you that don't, my brother Jason, is a great guy! He is a former marine, a dedicated police officer, a loving husband, a great dad, and an Air Force Reservist. I want to honor him and all the other military personell that follow their hearts and serve our country so that we can remain free. The fourth of July remains a holiday for us because of people like him. I am thankful for him and proud of the man that he has become. Happy Birthday Bubba!

I can't believe I am saying this but Bella will be three on Friday. Now, I don't know if it is just me or what but time is a flying! Being baby number 4, it seems like yesterday that I was pregnant with her. She is getting to be the big girl. She has finally decided to potty train...quite the task with all of our recent travels. We would get a really good start and then she would just resort back to the diaper. Understandably though with all the changes. Tough on a girl at times! Lili Kate is also in the process of potty training and doing quite well might I add. I am so proud of the progress she is making. She sleeps well, plays well, and is now speaking some really nice english. Granted it is with a cantonese twist, but nevertheless, it's english! She is doing much better in crowds too. When we went to the party yesterday for the fourth, she put on the show. She loved the attention. For the first time, she liked being the center of attention for a minute. She's a true sweetheart.

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday! Thanks to all of our soldiers, past and present, for serving our country!

~bobbie~

Where did you go?

Many of you are probably wondering where I have been since I haven't posted in soooo long. But for those of you that have adopted or even had a new baby you know that all the extra time you used to have, you no longer have. With two toddlers and the other three out of school, my hands have been very full. We have had alot of adjusting, amazingly it has been the hardest on BG. LK is such a blessing to our family. We are so thankful for her. We get tickled with her because she is so little but yet she walks around like she is so big. She and BG do good together but granted, with two two year olds there is always some conflict with sharing or jealousy. This summer has been busy for us. We took her to see her pediatric cardiologist who says she has a definite hole in her heart but the good news is that she be four or five before they will do anything with it. She will go on with a normal life until the procedure. She eats everything and anything and sleeps really well. We transitioned her into her own bed about two weeks ago and she was more than ready for it. She absolutely loves her big girl bed. She would much rather be with BG in their room at bedtime...and naptime but we haven't got that far yet. She still wants to play and talk with BG so we still put her down in the crib in our room.

I couldn't have dreamed that LK would be this awesome. She is so sweet and happy. She does get a little shy around people she doesn't know but overall she is doing great! What an angel! She loves the kids too! They play with her and love on her and she eats it up! We asked JJ what he thought about her and he said she is everything wonderful that she could be. How sweet! She loves her brother and sisters! And they love her!

We are blessed to have her and hope she always feels blessed to have us!

One week today

We have been home a week today. The progress of adjustment has been amazing. Ci Ci is doing wonderful. Our sleep problems have subsided. She and BG are doing great together during the day and she is growing attached to the other kids. She is so sweet natured and has a great spirit about her. The only time I see any problems is when her and BG get in a tug of war over a toy but that's pretty typical for a couple of two year olds. We feel very blessed to have LK in our lives. We had a rough and bumpy start but she is doing so much better now. I think she is adjusting quickly...alot more quickly than we thought she would.

We will be visiting our pediatrician in the morning for a physical. I am anxious to see what she has to say!

I went to an Awards Ceremony at the Elementary School yesterday and my sweet Anna got a reading achievement award. We were so proud of her. She has come a long way this year! Third grade was a challenge but she worked hard and it has paid off! She loves her medal for her reading achievements!

I am still very tired from the jetlag even though everyone is sleeping through the night now. I almost feel more exhausted now that I am getting rest! I hope this gets better soon because all I want to do right now is take a nap! That's near impossible with two two year olds! :) Fortunately they both sleep at the same time so I can sneak one in if I try.

We are looking forward to some time with my inlaws this weekend. This will be their first time to meet LK since they live out of town. They will be in love...and I have a feeling she will be showered with some kisses and hugs when they see her!

Home Sweet Home

Well today was our third day home. I have to admit it has been quite an adjustment. We are all very jetlagged! Wow! I didn't know you could be that tired! LK now has a much harder time sleeping and fights bedtime or naptime terribly regardless of the fact that she is exhausted and needs to rest. Today was a little better. She actually napped two and a half hours without waking and crying. I do see some improvement.

We introduced her to our dog, Angel and at first she didn't like her. But today LK was feeding Angel popcorn and they are getting along great. The kids are really wonderful with LK. Anna who is nine has just fell in love. JJ and Haley have just opened their hearts wide to her. BG is awesome too and God has really given her alot of grace in the addition of LK. It is hard for a two year old to grasp another child joining a family but she has done it so well. Not to say there are not times of battle because there are but we have been amazed at how well BG has done.

LK loves to eat and we have introduced a wide range of different foods. She loves it all! I have not seen her reject one thing we have tried to give her...except some oatmeal...I think it reminds her of congee. She is a great eater! Hopefully she will start gaining some weight now. She is still so small! We have dug into boxes of BG's old clothes and found some 12 month pj's that she is wearing. They are even big on her!

Overall, I think we are doing well. We are working through our sleep issue which I know is an issue with most all adopted or foster children. I know we will get through it! LK is doing well physically too. I will take her to the doctor this week and see what we can find out about her heart. Thanks for all your prayers! Love, Bobbie

30 hours of planes, trains and automobiles

Sorry for the delay in blogging but it has been a crazy few days. Tuesday was our Consulate appointment to get LK's visa to the US. We were then transferred to the train station where we took a couple hour train ride to Hong Kong. By the time we got settled in it was so late and we had to leave early the next morning to fly home. We started our journey home Wednesday morning at 6. Flew into Newark then to Nashville and finally home. The girls did awesomely well! We were amazed at how LK did. BG too! When we got home last night, my mom and dad and grandmother were here to meet LK. The kids were all sweet and excited to finally meet their new little sister. LK went straight to Haley. LK looked at Angel 0ur dog like she was an alien. I don't think she's ever seen a dog. The girls went to bed around midnight and by 4:30 am we were all up again. Needless to say they are exhausted but considering what they had to endure to get back home, they were angels. Did I say it is good to be home? It is sooooo good to be home! Thanks to all of your encouragement and prayers. LK is doing very well and we will have a doctor's appointment next week to see how her heart is doing. We are all very glad to be back together as a family!

Monkeys and moments...

All this time I have been posting and I don't think I have told you what LK's name is....atleast has been while she has been in China. When we got her we were told that her nickname is "CiCi" pronounced "Chi Chi". So from the beginning that is what we have called her and so far she recognizes us calling her by that or Lili-Kate. The language barrier has been a challenge. She tries hard to communicate with us and us with her and so far we have done okay. Today we went to the zoo and while BG was fascinated LK was uninterested (unless it involved riding in the trolley). When we got back to the hotel we went to the playroom and it was a sight I will never forget. BG ran in and started playing with all the toys. It was only LK and BG in there and LK just stood and looked. She didn't really know what to do. After she watched BG for a minute she joined in. But she didn't know how to work most of the toys. I think it was the first time she had seen any toys like those. Just typical toys we are used to seeing maybe in a church nursery or something but she was just standing there looking...uncertain. Once she started figuring it all out she was having a blast. Sweet!

LK is feeling much better! We are facing some challenges with her bahavior. She has quite the temper for a little two year and we are beginning to work through some of that. But when she is sweet...she is oh so sweet!

Well we head out for Hong Kong tomorrow and I cannot get home soon enough. Although the trip has been wonderful, I am sooooo homesick! I am ready to get BG back on her schedule and LK introduced to her new home and family! See you soon!

Shopping and swimming...

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom and Mrs. T...and to all the mommies out there! Today was the day we took our famous "red couch" photo. LK wasn't really in the mood but she did it anyway! :) She and I headed out to do some shopping while JT and BG stayed behind and went swimming at the hotel pool.

Just a few more days and we will be heading home! Boy am I ready! It has been a good trip and I feel like I will never be the same after this. In a good way of course! This entire adoption experience has changed me to the core. It really has!

Tomorrow is our Consulate appointment and then Tuesday we take a train to Hong Kong where we fly out on Wednesday. Yay! Miss you guys...see you soon!

Guangzhou...woohoo...

We made it Guangzhou last night and arrived at the White Swan Hotel around 8 p.m. The hotel is amazing and we now feel like we are among the living...you know us westerners! We spoiled! :) Any-o-hoo...LK screamed through most of the flight here but she did great last night. She laughed and played and NO FEVER! This morning we had her medical check and she has been very lethargic again today. She has been sleeping for the last several hours. I cannot wait to get her home and let our pediatrician check her out. She is so small. This afternoon we will meet with our guide for more paperwork and then tomorrow is our free day to shop. I am very excited about that because things here are very reasonable. LK only has like 3 outfits that really fit her so I have been alternating them with a pair of PJ's until I could get out and buy her some things here. Guangzhou is definitely more westernized and that helps tremendously. I just had my first cup of starbucks! So yummy! The coffee here in the hotel is so much stronger than what I can stand. I am soooo glad to see a STARBUCKS! On a funny note, I can't remember if I posted this already but the girls have had some "first" potty experiences while in China. We had been told that LK could tell us when she needed to go so we sat her on the western potty (her first time on a western potty) and at first she started whining and then I gave her the "word" she needed to hear and she did her thing. Ever since then if we take her she will go. Pretty cool because she is so little, it doesn't seem like she should be doing that! The chinese use squatty potties and so Bella had her first experience with that and although she did exactly what she was supposed to, it ended up on Momma's shoes. This trip has already been so memorable. I would have never just taken a trip to China but because of adoption we were able to see how the chinese live. We miss you all and can't wait to get back so you can meet sweet LK! Don't be fooled by that sweet smile though, she is still a two year old! :) She can be a bit fiesty! We will post later with some pics. We still don't have the adapter for the camera to download them. Love and hugs to you guys!

Much better!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday after I posted LK woke up with a 104.6 fever! Naturally, I panicked! I called our friend Doug that works at New Day in Beijing and his nurse and he were so helpful with anwering some of our questions. Thank you guys so much! We started LK on tylenol and motrin every three hours and by last night her fever had broken. We were elated. This is the first time since we got LK that she has been basically fever free. So far today the highest it has been was 99! Yay! Thanks for your prayers. She is much better today!

Last night we went to dinner with our new friends that just adopted their two year old. That was fun! We walked the streets of Nanning on our last night here and it was a very pleasant evening.

We got home last night and LK laughed and played. Come bedtime though she started the grieving process that we had heard about. She cried and cried and sometimes in her sleep. I did my best to comfort her and let her know it would be okay but it was still heartwrenching.

She woke up this morning and so far she has felt pretty good. Did I mention she has quite the temper? She is a good girl though. Just needs a little work on understanding she can't have everything she wants all the time. :) We will get there. Today we visited the largest park in Nanning. It was really nice and we had a great time. I am posting pics and video from last night and today. We will be flying to Guangzhou at 5:45 and will arrive there around 6:45. I will update more later. Thanks again to all of you that have prayed for us and LK. She is much better today!

uh oh...hey..hey..hey

I am sitting in front of the computer with a minutes peace and quiet so I thought I would just pop in on the blog and give you guys an update. Lili-Kate woke up with a 103 fever this morning. Jeff and I are determined to see her well...really well. JT, BG and LK are all sleeping..having their afternoon naptime. I took a little one this morning while JT and LK had some bonding time. It was nice because it has been a very emotional journey. I will admit that it is not at all what we expected but I should've known better than come with preconcieved ideas. That is not how life is. We have had a lot of pleasant and not so pleasant surprises on this journey to adopt Lili-Kate. Right now we are not sure if the heart disease is causing her illness or what exactly is going on but we do know that God designed this baby to be a part of our family. He knew what obstacles we would face and He knew we would pray for her. We will do whatever it takes to get her healthy. What an honor and priviledge to be able to be a part of her life.

We gave her some tylenol this morning to help with the fever and so far she has done pretty good today. She has been awake more than I have seen her. We are just very anxious to get her to the States and get her checked. That can't come soon enough!

We are ready to come home! We are missing our kids, our bed, and our family and friends! We have been in China since Wednesday of last week and I am starting to get really homesick now. Fortunately, we have some things coming up that will keep us busy. Tomorrow we get LK's passport and will fly out to Guangzhou where we will have her medicals and get her Visa to return to the US. We will arrive home on Wednesday night at 7:40 p.m. given there are no delays (God forbid!) We will leave Hong Kong and fly 15 hours to Nashville. Then we will have a two hour drive home! Not sure if we will make that drive Wednesday night or Thursday morning. We will just see how the girls are doing...

Thanks to all of you that continually pray for us and send sweet and encouraging comments to the blog and email. Although I haven't been able to respond individually, I have read each one and been so thankful for you guys! I have needed the encouragement and support. We just didn't realize the battle we would face once we got LK. My favorite saying is ringing in my ears..."No rain...no rainbows". It is true and we know that anytime battle rages there is a blessing on the other side. We have never doubted that LK is just that! One huge blessing and she is all her name says she is..." A Beautiful Gift from God". And we know with alot of love, prayers, and medical help she is going to grow beautifully!

Here is a video of LK and BG dancing the day we got her. What a sweetheart! She loves to dance..imagine that! :)