Our first week home!

It has been such a whirlwind.  Chad had another visit to the Emergency Room.  He was finally diagnosed with inner ear issues due to all the flights (7 total).  He is starting to feel better but has made his bonding with Lauren difficult. 

Lauren is adjusting well to her new home.  She loves being at home.  We have made trips out to visit but she's always happiest when she walks in the front door of her own home.  She attaches very easily to the women in our family.  It takes her about 5 minutes before she is running and giggling with them.  This concerned me because she attached so quickly with me.  I began doubting that she truly knows me as Mom so we had to some family and friends to wait to come over.

Lauren loves to be tickled!  It is so funny.  She will lay there giggling before we even start tickling her.  She will laugh so hard that she gurgles.  It's the cutest sounds.

Lauren loves her room but she does NOT like her crib.  She had slept with her foster grandmother and only slept in the crib during her first 5 months in the orphanage.  We have been starting her out in her crib then in bed with us once we wakes up during the night.  As of yesterday, she refused to go to sleep in her own crib, she kept pointing to our room.  We are debating putting a twin bed in there and let me sleep with her until she is comfortable and secure.   It was great in China because we had a king size bed, but we only have a queen at home; therefore making it difficult to get any sleep.

Lauren has an attitude.  Oh my goodness!  Chad looked at me yesterday and said "We are in for it!"  If she doesn't like something or we tell her No, she will fold her arms and stick her chin up in the air.  I have to fight back the smiles because it is the cutest and funniest thing.  We are thinking she learned this from her foster brothers and sisters.

I start back to work Monday and Chad will be home with her.  I will be working 8-1 then home the rest of the day with her.  I will be doing this for several weeks until she's feels secure that Mommy is coming home and hasn't abandoned her.

Tuesday was our visit with the Pediatrician.  She said Lauren was perfect!  She was very impressed at how well Lauren was cared for while in China.  She listened to Lauren's heart and couldn't even hear a pin hole of ASD.  Thank You Jesus!!!  We meet with the Pediatric Cardiologist on Tuesday to have ultrasounds and tests run but expect for Lauren's complete healing by God to be confirmed.

We are so in awe of God!  Lauren has been a blessing to us.  We couldn't have asked for a better baby.  She is so easy going.  She lets me try clothes and shoes on her.  :)  I've been waiting a very long time to do this!  She tolerates Chad and I as being new parents.  We have made mistakes and she just goes with the flow.

When I think of all the infertility treatments, procedures, at least 100 shots, lots of tears, and numerous childless Mother's Days, I can honestly say I am so happy and can't remember the pain any longer.  Lauren was so worth the wait!  She is perfect for our family.  What a wonderful God we serve!  I'm so glad He chose Chad and I to be Yun Niu's parents.  God is so good!

Alissa meeting Lauren.

So happy to be home with our US Citizen!

Nana giving Lauren a rose just like the one from her orphanage.

Welcome sign for Lauren with everyone's note to Lauren.

Our family and friends waiting for us!

Lauren putting on a show for her family.

She loves her toys!

She loves Annabelle.  (not so found of Tinkerbelle though)

Silly faces

She is like her Papa!  She stuffs way too much food in her mouth!

Playing with Alissa!

More silly faces!

So good to be home

Daddy cutting her nails.

She was center stage on the plane ride from Detroit to Louisville

She loves her stroller from her new cousins.

Her first visit to the Pediatrician

Weighing 25.6 pounds!

She loves to feed herself.

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Her Papa came over to play with her.  She put on a show for him.

We made it home, finally

We made it home yesterday around 4:30 pm.  We were exhausted.  She did well on the plane ride home.  Out of the 15 hours on planes she cried about 45 mins total.  She slept about 5 hours total.  Sherry will post more about the return trip soon.  I just wanted to let everyone that is following our journey that we are home safe and sound now.

-Chad

Lauren's Gotcha Day video is ready

Here is the Gotcha Day video when we saw Lauren in person for the first time and she joined our family.






-Chad

Oath Day and our Last full day in Guangzhou!

This morning we went to Pearl Market with a couple of other families.  We then got ready for our Oath at the US Consulate.  She saw us raise our right hand so she thought she should raise hers also.  It was so cute.

After the Oath, we hung out in the hotel.  We played in the hallways, listened to the nice man play the piano, and played on the escalators.  When we are ready to get off the escalator, we will say Ready, Set, then step off and say GO!  She will laugh so loud and hard.  We are laughing at her all the time.  I just got her a sleep and as I was rocking her and singing, she stuck her tongue out and rolled it.  I couldn't help but laugh. 

This will probably be our last post from China.  We will be taking a bus Friday at 4:00 pm to Hong Kong.  We will spend the night in Hong Kong, then leave for Detroit at 9:15 am Saturday am.  We should be in Louisville 4:25 pm Saturday afternoon from Detroit.  We can't wait to get home!  Please keep us in your prayers as we travel.

Here are pictures from today:

She's a Mommy's girl!

Laughing at the passengers.  She also spotted Grammy Dee.

Playing in the hallways.

She loves the piano.

She was hiding from us and scared us when we came around the corner.

She's such a funny girl!

Riding the escalators with Daddy.

Ready! Set!  GO!!!!!!  Hahahahahaha!

Day of Shopping and Fun in Guangzhou

We slept in this morning and went to breakfast late.  From 11:00 - 12:00 today we had to stay in our room just in case China had questions about us adopting Lauren.  The phone rang at 11:15 and it scared us.  We thought there might be a problem.  Instead it was our guide letting us know that all is well and that we could pick up our adoption decree from her room.  We were elated to know that this was one of the last steps and that our journey here is almost over.  Thursday we will be heading to the US Consulate to take the oath that we will not hurt or abandon her. 

We enjoy the comments!  We love and miss you all!

She will brush her teeth after watching Mommy brush hers.

cleaning her tray

We call her Mr Monk (tv show).  She has to touch every shiny object.

Thanks Liz for lending the hat.She loves it.

playing with the statues.

9/14/10

I'm having blog problems so I'm a little late in typing this.  We went to the kiddie room in the hotel room and there was a slide. Lauren LOVED it.  There was another little girl in there and Lauren wouldn't look or play with her.  We are going to have to work on her social skills.

Have I mentioned we are ready to come home?

Here is our day in pictures:

Going down the slide

Skyping and laughing at herself

A tour through the local living areas.

She can roll her tongue.  Of course she was sticking her tongue out at the nice behind us.

We ate at PaPa Johns.  It was wonderful!

Red Couch Pictures

This morning we headed to Shamin Island again to do some shopping and the famous Red Couch pictures at the White Swan Hotel.  Of course, Lauren was the first to cry.  Oh the tears just poured!

Here are some things about Lauren we have learned:


She is potty trained.  She is still wearing diapers because we can't quite find a toilet fast enough sometimes.  She has done the squatty potty once and knew what to do.  I hate the squatty pottys.

She loves music and will stop in her tracks and listen to it when she hears it.

She loves to skype and to be center of attention.  She counts with Aunt Glenda in Chinese and will laugh at herself.  She also does silly faces, claps for her self and makes funny noises.

She has a temper.  She will cross her arms and pout.  She has thrown her sippy cup, food, among other things numerous times.  She has pulled my hair, scratched my face and slapped me a few times already.

She loves to eat!

She weighs 22.5 pounds and is wearing 18 months and 24 months clothes.  Today we had her in a 12 month outfit.  She has short legs so we usually have to roll up her pants.

She fights sleep but loses the battle as soon as she gets in a moving vehicle.  It is the funniest thing.

She is VERY shy and doesn't want to talk or play with the other children.  This afternoon we met a 20 month old little girl from Belgium and she had a ball and wanted to play with Lauren.  Lauren buried her face in my skirt refusing to look at the girl.

She loves to swim and loves for her Daddy to throw her up in the air.  

Occasionally she will gurgle while laughing.  It is the funniest sound.

She is our little miracle and we are so in love with her.  We are so blessed that God chose this little girl to be ours.

We miss our friends and family so much.  We miss being able to put ice in our drinks, laundry, driving a car, eating normal foods, and diet coke.  We are counting down the days to come home.  We love and miss you all and can't wait for you to meet our daughter.

Looking at the fish while hanging out at the White Swan Hotel.

My baby and me.

She is happy because Daddy just threw her in the air, but grunting because she wants her Mommy to hold her.

Getting ready for pictures. 

She had enough!  She wanted her Mommy!

9/12/10 in Pictures

Our little Family

Breakfast at the hotel

Her 1st church service.  She slept through it all.

Our Church service

We are so in love with her!

New sunglasses!

Silly girl

Her 1st ice cream cone at McDonalds.  It was so little!

It warms my heart every time she comes running at me laughing.  Thank you Jesus for this precious gift in our life.