Two Years Ago.......

I can remember the morning well....sitting in the basement with Jon discussing how disappointing the prior day had been - receiving a referral of a two year little girl who supposedly had a very minor special need only to discover a huge medical need that we were not comfortable with. As we sat discussing the events of that day, the phone rang. The caller ID indicated that it was our agency AGAIN??!! Huh? That is not normal since typically once the monthly special needs list is out you are eligible once. Well, I wasn't going to argue. Our agency sent the file and sure enough, there was this cute little girl sitting on a toy donkey smiling at us as if to say, "Hi, here I am!" Little did we know at that point what a precious little gem she was. God was certainly orchestrating the events of that day and daily we see His blessings.

We have commemorated the day as "Sister Day" since the girls officially became sisters once we signed on the dotted line. The day consisted of going to DeGroff, Ohio to celebrate my niece Lili's 8th birthday party with family at a shelter within a park. Giggles and shrieks of joy overpowered the sound of the thunderstorm that lingered overhead. They had a blast. Now reality hits tomorrow since Natalie starts kindergarten tomorrow. Really???? Is summer officially over??

Wordless Wednesday

What is $15 a month to you?

Fifteen dollars a month......how many times do we spend this without even blinking an eye? Fifteen dollars a month would sponsor a child in Julianne's orphanage through Love Without Boundaries within its nutrition program. I clearly remember the anxiety we felt during the long seven months we waited for her. Not knowing if she was being loved and fed properly were just a small number of our worries. If you know me then you know I had many worries swirling in my head as I would toss and turn at night. I would have had many more nights of sleep if I knew that someone sponsored my child in this nutrition program. Pingliang has over 100 babies in its orphanage with mainly cleft defects who often times have a hard time getting the food down properly. If you are interested in sponsoring a baby then you can see the link below...
https://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/Donate.cfm?child_id=0&category=&spanishFlag=false&amount=

Be sure to write "Pingliang Nutrition Program" in the notes section.

You will receive an update on your child several times a year. Thanks for considering!

It Has Been A Year! Gotcha Day!

The shirt she wore.

Gotcha Day clothes
Wearing her Gotcha Day Clothes

It has been a year since Julianne became a part of our family. She amazes us with her progress and humors us with her adorable personality. During these past couple of days, we will look at the clock and remember what we were doing at that time one year ago in China. We recall the whirlwind of emotions the experience held for us and the elation of seeing her in person for the first time in the hotel in Lanzhou after all the months of waiting for her. We were truly in awe over her beauty (and extremely chapped cheeks). I can honestly state that we fell in love with her as soon as we saw her - it helps that we studied her picture for seven months. We just love her to pieces. The presence of God was SO felt during this journey. There were times where we were at a crossroads not knowing what to do but somehow God guided us to Julianne no matter how much we questioned our decision. So many lessons learned.

She is a perfect fit. That's all there is to it.

Monkey

Monkey!

Together Forever!

When we were waiting for Julianne to become a part of our family, Leah and Natalie saved every coin that they came across so they could purchase Julianne a toy. They were so so so excited when I told them that they had enough money to make the trek to Target to hunt for the perfect toy. The three of us probably walked the toy aisle of the store several times just to find something that the two of them could agree on. The girls squealed with excitement when they realized a stuffed monkey was the winning choice.

Fast-forward five months and Julianne was given monkey for the first time....a perfect match! Love at first sight! She will not leave his (or her..not sure yet) side and heaven forbid that we ever lose him. She dances with him, feeds him, chews his nose, cries on him, hugs him, etc. I have looked everywhere for a backup but no luck. I did recently find one that was pretty similar on Ebay and I did purchase it for the possibility that it gets lost. Monkey is certainly loved and will be a keeper long after he is no longer needed.

Winter '10

Our backyard

Julianne loves the snow!

The girls' first igloo.

Wordless Wednesday - Missing Teeth

Happy Birthday, Julianne!

Cake that our local ice cream parlor gave Julianne.

Ok.. I think we need to teach her the lesson about fire.
Eating at Jade Cafe

Birthday girl!

This time last year, my heart ached knowing that my daughter was turning one and we were not able to be with her to celebrate it. This didn't stop us though since we still held a party with some close friends. This year, however, is that much sweeter since we are able to spoil her with our love on this very special day.

I do think of her birth mother often and pray that she is given peace with the decision she had to make. For whatever the reason, we hope she knows that Julianne is so so loved.

Twas the Night Before Christmas.....

Just for Santa

The girls are huge Star Wars fans (due to Daddy). This was his present from the girls. Note Julianne's shirt too. Half of the girls' presents from Santa were Star Wars (Clone Wars) figures. BTW, Natalie is wearing "dress up" clothes, not anything I put her in - just for the record.

My loves!

Isn't she just beautiful!

They just love their mei mei.

Becoming a Big Girl

Feeding her baby.

Playing with her Nativity Scene

Putting ornaments on her first Christmas Tree

Leah and Natalie playing with the big Nativity Scene

Julianne is not sure what to do.

Watching all the girls grow up from one stage to the next is probably one of the greatest thrills as a parent. All of our fruits of our labors begin to pay off as we see them change into curious, polite and sweet young individuals. I can never pinpoint an actual age where I can say, "This is my favorite age!" because as soon as I say it...the next stage seems just as fun. I have to say, though, that I am truly in awe over how quickly Julianne has changed seemingly overnight from baby to an independent (even sassy) almost two year old. It is as if she woke up one morning last week as a new little girl.....talking in sentences, forcefully making her needs known, role playing with dolls and animals, trying to clean the house (Huh? Where did she learn that one??) etc. It is so rewarding to watch her rock her baby as she soothes her with kisses and a song (nighty night; nighty night..). Again, the fruits of our labor are paying off.

A funny story...I took Julianne to the geneticist last week (no worries there!!) Well, after the nurse left the room , I was trying to comfort her with a lullabye since she was crying. After about thirty seconds of my best soothing sounds, she looked up at me and sternly said, "Stop it!" I thought I didn't hear her correctly so I continued and lo and behold, I heard it again..."Stop it!" I think this is the day that her independence started to reveal itself because on the long way home in the car, she continued to shout my name "Debbie" the entire time. Over and over and over and over.