Wonderful Christmas

Here is a short list!

20th - Did some running around with S and L and some last minute shopping and cooking. We hosted an "impromptu" 3rd Friday get-together. Glad to have Fannie and family and Shelby and family join us for some snacking and hanging out!

23rd - Chruch service and SS lesson that reminded me of what we were celebrating. To think of how Mary felt - holding baby Jesus - looking into the face of God himself!

Christmas Eve - Attended church with Mema, Aunt Amy and Uncle Ted, Susan and Madison, and our friends the Hills. All came over for dinner afterwards. Lasagna and the company was great! Ally sat thru "big church" pretty well! It was a beautiful service to celebrate the birth of Christ!

Christmas Day - We woke up about 7'ish and opened stockings. Ally had no idea what was in "store" as we went down to the basement! She soon found out and learned all about opening presents.

26th - Big sisters "baby sat" in their sleep while mommy and daddy hit the mall early for a few sales. After lunch, we hopped in the car and headed to mema's house. Aunt E and Uncle Paul came that night. E and I added a few "special" ornaments to mema's tree.

27th - Ally met Becca! Angie and Victor came over in the morning to visit with their China doll, Becca. It was so cute to see them together! Angie and I still laugh at how everyone who knew us in high school would think we planned this whole thing! Around noon, we had a delicious traditional dinner with the rest of the family. Of course, more gift opening followed that! About 4 PM we hit the road and made it to southern Virginia and stopped for the night in a hotel about 11:30 PM.

28th - Drove the rest of the way to NE Ohio (Grandma's house). Ally did remarkably well on the trip - not much crying or whining. We enjoyed seeing everyone up there and they enjoyed seeing Ally for the first time. She played really well with ALL of her little cousins!

31st - TODAY - We drove the ENTIRE way home today (lots of little stops). We left Ohio at 5:40 AM and got home at 7:30 PM. We really had no intention of driving the enitre trip in one day, but the girls (all of them) were doing so well, that we thought we'd give it a try! So we are home! Ally was glad to get back and play with her new kitchen. SHe went to bed about 8:30, and daddy followed suit around 9:30 or 10. The big girls and I are up (trying to tidy up a little - well, I am at least!). They want to watch the "ball drop" from NYC but I'd rather get to bed!

Tomorrow we are so excited to meet Sarah Beth and see the rest of the Miller family!

Fun with Friends!

Lots to catch up on (that seems to be a running theme these days). We had a blast last week with the Hill girls at the PINK PIG! We started out the evening by enjoying a great yummy meal at one of our favorites - The Cheesecake Factory! The girls (moms and daughters) all wore pink in honor of the pig.

We finally had a chance to get together with the 2 newest little girls to our group! Ally and I got to meet Shelby and Danielle. We also had a visit with Santa! It was just an amazing thing to see these 4 little girls together. Santa asked me if we were all friends before we decided to adopt, and I told him that the adoptions of these girls had brought us together. The girls were all dressed in their Christmas dresses, so they turned lots of heads as they paraded through the mall!

Sara and Lauren (and mom and dad) are looking forward to a break from school and work. Boy, are we ever!

HOPE

Click HERE to go to see a promo video for our agency. Please, please take a few moments to watch it. The girls and I make a "cameo". Its message is amazing. The countdown at the very end made me cry...

Bad Hair Day!!!

This is what happens when Doug gets bored at home with Ally. Last week he turned her upside down and sprayed her hair with hairspray. She thought it was pretty funny as well, especially when she looked in the mirror.

What a Treasure I Have

Last Friday we hosted some dear friends (and made some new ones) for a "First Friday" get-together. The best part of the night was (well, there were several) seeing the Randall Family with their new referral for Ellie! What a cute little tiny chick-a-dee. She has lots of black spikey hair! Another high point was showing our photo album of Ally's first 2 years at the orphanage to Cathy (an adoptive mom of 2 China girls and waiting for a 3rd). When she saw the book she almost instantly had tears in her eyes. She said that she had nothing like that (newborn pics, etc) for either of her girls. I began to realize what a treasure I have in that book. We have numerous pages of photos and commentary from the nannies (written by them in English).

On Sunday we hosted 2 parties for the girls' friends and their moms - our annual mom/daughter ornament swap. Since we have met so many new folks (who almost all have daughters, coincidentally) we split the party into 2 shifts. The afternoon group was the biggest with about 40 people, and the evening one was a little more cozy with about 22 folks. Both were a fun time with friends! My friend Amanda (Zi's mommy that we travelled with) joined us with her daughters Hannah and Abby. Yesterday, she emailed me about contacting an agency in China to help her take pictures of Zi's foster mom for him to have in the future. I don't know if she has many pics of Zi, for some reason, I doubt it. It makes me realize yet again, what a treasure I have in this photo album of my little China girl.

Monday afternoon, we enjoyed seeing Karen (our social worker) again for our first "post adoption placement" visit. It was as if the whole process came full circle when Karen entered our home again. Because she had been with us from the beginning, it was so nice to have her here and be able to introduce her to our little ALLY! We talked about the trip, life with a 2 year old, Ally's health and development. We talked about her heart and how we got great reports from the doctors. Ally was very well behaved, said a few words for Karen and played! It seemed as if Karen just couldn't take her eyes off of Ally. We also showed Karen our photo album prepared by Ally's orphanage. (You see where this is going) Karen said that she had worked with about 20 families that had adopted from China and in all of those, she had NEVER seen any of them have so many pictures of their child's life in the orphanage. Ironically, it drove it home again, that we not only have a treasure in the photos we have of Ally's first 23 months, but also what a treasure we have in our new little girl.

Yes, I will post pictures (camera is in the car and I'm lazy!) BTW, it was 80 degrees and sunny here today - I seriously almost put the top down - just for the heck of it!

GOOD News All Around!

Our friends, Scott and Joan, got their referral for their 2nd China girl! They waited exactly 2 years from their log in date. Katie will be a big sister in January! We are so excited to see her picture tomorrow night as they join us at our house for "First Friday"! I'm so glad we will have a real referral to celebrate! I think the Randalls are the first family from our little group (started in Aug of 2006) to get a referral (except for the few of us who went "Waiting Child"). What a great Christmas present!

Our friends, Greg and Jennifer, got some wonderful news about their son Gabriel, who is waiting in Guatemala. They are hopefully looking at a late December trip to meet him and bring him home! He is such a little cutie - spikey black hair and big brown eyes! The Guatemalan adoption program is having some challenges, and while I don't understand most of what is going on, and may be temporarily be shutting down on Jan 1, so it is such good news that they have gotten their approval!

In Ally's little world, she visited a wonderful pediatric dentist this week, after our family dentist thought she might have a cavity. She did very well and does not have a cavity - it is a stained molar. She also got a haircut last weekend and did very well for that!

Sara tried out for All-State on flute and will be attending the UGA honor band for middle schoolers tomorrow and Saturday with her friend Audrey. I hope they have fun!They went for auditions today and there were a ton of kiddos!

Some friends from several years ago moved back to the Atlanta area. We met Dennis and Mary Beth a few days after Sara was born. Their daughter, Grace, and Sara were born the same exact day and that is what lead us to begin attending the church that her daddy pastored! They moved to VA about 9 years ago, but recently returned to GA! Can't wait to see them and catch up.

Our Names - According to Ally

Daddy is DaDee
Mommy is Mom-mm
Sara is Ar-a (an improvement from Gunh Gunh)
Lauren is La Win
Ally is Ah wee

Isn't that cute?

Dancing Elves- Sara, Lauren, and Ally

This is hilarious. It is a website called elfyourself.com It is by Office Max and you can do your own and even make them talk. Click Here to see our 3 girls dancing. It takes a little while to load and you may even have to refresh.

A big thanks to Jennifer for the updated new look of the blog. It looks and sounds great.

Thankful - For So MUCH!

I'm a bit late posting my Thanksgiving message; and I'm terribly behind with my blogging! So, my goal is to catch up!

This Thanksgiving was like most - my "side" of the family gathered at my sister's and brother in law's house in Augusta. Doug's sister, Shelley, joined us too. We had the usual food - turkey, dressing, mac-n-cheese (but no cheese grits until Amy came thru!), sweet potatoe casserole, home made yeast rolls, etc. We did the usual things - watched the parade, some of the dog show, played outside (pretty, cool day), decorated Mema's tree, decorated our trees, etc.

Of course, this Thanksgiving was NOT like the last two - which we spent with an emptiness in our hearts and lives - Ally was missing from our family the last two T'givings. SO, you can imagine how thankful we were this holiday to have her here with us, fitting into our family just fine! She is just the perfect match for us. I always felt confident that God would give us the perfect child for our family; it was, of course, frustrating during the seemingly endless wait to keep that at the forefront!

We are thankful for our 3 healthy girls, each so special in her very own way! For the most part, they get along so well and do love each other! Thankful that our two oldest girls are good students and make good choices in their friends. Thankful that they both have Jesus in their hearts!

We are thankful to be home and that our trip to China was wonderful and no one got sick and that our flights were uneventful.

We are thankful for our agency, Hope for Children, that assisted us throughout the entire process.

We are thankful for our families and friends that prayed for us and stood by us, encouraging us, through the wait and our travels.

We are thankful for Ally's heart being healthy.

We are thankful for the nannies that cared for and loved Ally for her first 23 months of life in China. We are also SO thankful for her birth mother, who made the painful choice to take tiny baby Ally to Hope Haven and to give her a chance at a life that she could not provide. I can't even imagine the pain she must have felt; I just pray that somehow she has a peace in her heart that her baby girl is loved SO MUCH and is safe and happy.

We are thankful for Ally's adjustment - at home, at Sunday School, at Miss Sheryl's.

We are thankful for all of the new friends we have made because of our decision to adopt.

We are thankful for our marriage and for our little girl finally being at home!

Christmas is Right Around the Corner!

Yes, we are getting ready to go! Lots to post, so I'll see if I can remember it all!

First and foremost, congrats to our friends, the Millers, for finally being united with their daughter, Sarah Beth. You can see their pictures by clicking on the link listed on the right. We can't wait to see her in person! It has been a little strange watching them in China - we're a little jealous that they are there without us! We're so happy for them!

Ally continues to understand so many things! Tonight while we were fixing dinner, I told Ally, "Go tell Sara and Lauren that it's time to eat dinner." Off she went down the hall! The next thing I know, she comes running back into the kitchen and Sara and Lauren following close behind! Lauren said, "Is it time to eat? Ally did her sign for 'eat'" Isn't that amazing?

Our weekend was packed full of activities. Lauren had soccer and we went to the Gwinnett Civic Center to see Sara's photograph on display. She received an Honorable Mention at the county level for the Reflections contest. Later on Saturday night we joined the Hills to celebrate Randi's birthday at Ninja, a Japanese steak house. We had so much fun, watching the chef throw rice balls for each of the girls (yes, including Ally) to catch in their mouths! The waiters seemed to be looking at Ally quite a bit, but didn't say/ask anything. We then went back to their beautifully decorated (yes, for Christmas) house and had dessert and just enjoyed laughing and watching the girls play! Shelby Grace and Ally had fun wearing their Chinese dresses and having a "panty run" thru their house! Randi inspired me to get busy with the decorating!

On Sunday, the girls hosted a Dangles party and sold several pairs of their earrings to friends and family! It was fun to see everyone that came. The one who stole the show was an appearance by Frannie! It's so funny to see them together. This time they didn't pay much attention to each other - they played near each other. Ally wasn't very good about sharing "her" toys! This was the first time a "little friend" had been here to play with Ally's toys! We need to work on that!

Last night, a small group of kids from Sara's band played at the Publix "Holiday Kick-Off". Ally wore her Christmas outfit and got to meet Santa for the first time. We snapped a quick picture of all 3 girls, because Ally looked slightly apprehensive about going to sit with the Big Guy!

Look out China - Here Come the Millers!

We can't wait to follow our great friends journey to China. Chad and Melissa leave tomorrow AM VERY early from Illinois. I am so excited to see them get their daughter! I'm a little jealous of the other families that we know that will meet Sarah Beth before we can! Can't wait till we can see them and let these 2 little China girls meet. So, C and M, if you happen to glance at our blog before you leave, just be reminded of how you felt about our blog when we were in China!!!!! Post frequently! Love you all dearly!

Ally had her follow up doctor visit this afternoon and got 4 shots. She was fine after the first, looked at me very concerned after the second, and let us hear her with the third. By the fourth one, she was so tense, that the injection spot started to bleed! She is asleep now, but we are expecting a little girl that doesn't feel so great!

I am a BLOG addict!!

I used to make fun of Lucy for having tears in her eyes each and every night as she read these blogs. I thought she was crazy, beating herself up by reading about others gettting or having their children. My addiction started while we were in China. I really enjoyed reading all of the comments from friends and family. I also enjoyed writing some of the posts when I was wide awake at 3AM.
Lucy will follow perfect strangers blogs. I on the other hand only look at people I know or have met. I followed Frannie's Journey and now Shelby and can't wait to hear about the Miller's trip as they leave Friday. I guess I just thought it was time for a man to admit he enjoys reading blogs. I have had several guys tell me they read our blog. I believe Scott told Lucy he was addicted to our blog while we were in China. Bill told me he still checks our blog about everyday. I keep telling Lucy we need to get this thing save to a dvd so Ally can read all about her before we even knew she was Ally.

Welcome Shelby!

Congrats to Donna and CJ (click on their names to route to their blog) who finally met their daughter Shelby on Sunday (Monday afternoon China time). Shelby is having a tough time as she misses her foster mom/dad greatly. Please say a quick prayer for everyone involved! These are challenging days. I remember them quite well.

She Pushed the Cat into the BATH TUB!

Yep! That is what Ally did tonight! Lauren had just taken her bath and the water was draining. Ally was in there keeping her company, and Snoopie joined them, sitting on the edge of the tub. This is not unusual for him, as we often run a few drops of water for him to drink! But he wasn't expecting a big shove from Ally (who probably only outweighs him by 5 pounds)! Splash and scramble... he was in the tub for a fraction of a second (as cats tend to do!) and then he ran off shaking and splattering water everywhere! I'm not sure Ally even knew what she had done.

She loves to play "Where's Elmo". We tried to teach her to hide her eyes (she peeks) while we hide her 2 little stuffed Elmos in the family room. It is one of her favorite games to play. She will put her hands up as if to say, "where'd he go?" It's quite cute!

Another "game" she plays is "scare me and watch me run to mommy". Lauren is the best at this and loves to make Ally squeal and laugh, which she does!

She always refers to Doug as "daddy" until HE asks her "who am I?" and she always says "MA MA MA MA" really loudly! That cracks us up everytime.

She played outside in the chilly afternoon with her sand (formerly water) table and really liked scoopin it up and moving the sand around!

Her favorite things to grab are daddy's cell phone and wallet, remote and keys. She gives us this cute little sly smile when she does it, too.

She loves for Daddy to toss her into the air or spin her. Anything crazy - she responds by saying "moh - moh" and doing her little sign language for "more"! Sometimes it stresses me out, but she sure loves it.

One of the high points of Ally's day is when Lauren's bus comes in the afternoon. She knows the sound of the bus coming down the street. When the bus turns around in our cul-de-sac, Ally gets so excited and can't wait to run out in the yard to greet her.

Now the pics... I posted the one of Ally sleeping on the sofa just to show how tiny she is. She hasn't felt well this week - on and off fever since Friday. She topped the scale at 21.5 pounds on Monday (up 2 from China), so the doctor was pleased with that. She does seem to feel better and has been fever-free today. It is hard to see little ones that don't feel well!

Lauren was reading in the rocking chair in Ally's room when Sadie decided to join her! Ally was enjoying some mixed up chocolate ice cream.

Click "View All Images" below the window, and click on "original view" to see the slide show in a bigger format!

Happy Halloween!

Once she realized that after ringing the doorbell, people giving out candy, Ally loved Trick or Treating! It took her a while to realize that she actually could keep the candy instead of eating it immediately! We went to our church festival for a little while and then came home to start the T or T'ing. The big girls ditched our little n'hood for bigger and better things with friends, but Ally had fun going to about 8 houses close by! That explains why Ally dominates the photos - she is the only one that stayed all night with mommy and daddy! (click below slide show to see it bigger)

Sara and Audrey went as grandma cheerleaders, while Lauren and Amelia were Thing 1 and 2 (Cat in the Hat). Ally was originally going to be a ladybug, but the 50's girl worked better for her (she didn't care for the lady bug hat!). She ate entirely too much candy, but isn't that the fun part of Halloween?

My friend Donna and family are in Beijing today - they meet Shelby in a few days!

Busy Weekend, Movie Review, Photo Award, Ladybug

There is so much to catch up on! We made the most of our weekend and went to Hiawasee (N. Ga. mountains), since I had a work appointment up there! We had a nice cabin; played ping pong, carved a pumpkin, watched movies, ate, cooked, played games, shopped a little, played on a few playgrounds, and made smores (or as we say, "schmoes")! One thing that really stood out were the lakes, or lack of lakes. GA is in the midst of a serious draught and some of the lakes were just gone - seriously, just evaporated - totally. There were docks that were in the mud; dried mud!

I feel so far behind with my blogging, and I have so many wonderful thoughts to share with you people!!! (Ha Ha)

One of the movies that we watched was "Meet the Robinsons." It was about a little boy who grew up for a good part of his childhood in an orphanage. All he ever wanted was to meet his mother and convince her to take him back. He was able to get a "glimpse" into his future and see how his life affected so many in a positive way, all because of his adoptive parents. It was really cute and so clever. I sat there with tears in my eyes (yes, animated movie) as Lewis (the little boy) was able to have a "glimpse" of his bio-mom leaving him at the orphanage as a baby. I was really overwhelmed with thoughts of Ally's biological mom. I just know that to this day, and most likely for the rest of her life, that she will wonder. I can't imagine that she won't live with regret everyday for the daughter that she had to give up. We look at our beautiful daughter and are so thankful that her birth mom chose to take her where she did. The movie took a lot of "hits" in the adoption community, but I don't know why - we loved it and thought it was wonderful! It was a bit "Back to the Future'ish" - one of my all time favs!

We are trying to teach Ally about "trick or treat", so tonight we lured her into her lady bug costume by giving her a Kit Kat bar. Sara (also in her costume) took Ally to our neighbors to practice trick or treating! She was so happy to get more candy (which we took to them to give her!) that we are now expecting that she will want candy each time she "suits up"! It was so cute!

Sara found out that she won 1st Place in her school's Reflections contest for 8th grade in the photography category! She will now compete with winners from the other middle schools in our county. She submitted the pic she took of Ally overlooking the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian. We are so excited for her! I think she is proud of herself, too.

Lots of friends are getting ready to go to China! Donna and her family leave on Wed for Shelby (on Ally's list); Chad and Melissa leave on Nov 9 for Sarah Beth; Darci and family leave next week for Danielle (also on Ally's list). I talked to Melissa today for a while! I'm so excited for them. I can't wait to follow their blogs.

Bend and Snap!

One of Sara and Lauren's favortie movies is "Legally Blonde" (they taped the TV version and watch it over and over). If you have seen the movie, you will know what Bend and Snap is. Well, Sara and Lauren have taught Ally how to Bend and Snap! It's the cutest thing - mainly, because she just smiles so big doing what her big sisters are doing!

It is actually raining at our house tonight! GA is in the midst of a serious draught and water shortage, so we are happy to see the rain. Sara was so happy that she put on her new rain boots, ran outside, and kicked and splashed in the puddles! She had the biggest smile on her face and was just laughing! Still hints of a little girl in my big girl.

Weekend Fun!

Friday's News

A few pics from the week! You can click on View Slide Show then "original view" to see the pics bigger.

We had applied for an "adoption assistance grant" for special needs adoptions right before we went to China in July. I don't know if it's only available for GA families or not, but we applied. Since returning we had heard nothing; and even though I had made several calls and left several messages, I never heard a yes or no. The lady was nice and did return my calls, but I was never home when she called! So we have literally played phone tag for 2 + months (on and off, not every day). But today, I decided to call in the late afternoon and she actually picked up the phone! She had good news for us too! We qualified for the grant and all we have to do is submit a reciept from a portion of our adoption expenses and we will get a check in the mail from the state of GA. How cool is that? Doug jokingly said that Ally came with a rebate!

No More Tears!

This post is not about baby shampoo; it's about Ally at Miss Sheryl's house! She is no longer crying when I leave - not at all! I'm so relieved. I will kiss and hug her goodbye and she will go to Miss Sheryl smiling (sometimes still grabbing me, but smiling). This is just huge - knowing that she is happy there and comfortable with Miss Sheryl and Linzi. What a great thing!

Ally has been extra energetic and we think it may be a side effect of some meds she is taking for a rash on her tummy. She climbs on the dollhouse and the crib and is running like a crazy girl around the house! Loves to chase and climb. She has also been a little more aggressive than usual with the biting and pinching and slapping - usually when she wants me (or whoever) to attend to her!

Her new thing is to do "flipsies." She will hold our hands and climb up our legs and flip backwards. She will finish by putting her hands up and doing a "ta-da"! I can't believe how flexible she is - can't remember if S and L were this flexible at this age or not! She is like a little rubber band!

Our friends Chad and Melissa called to tell us they got their TA for Sarah Beth! Now they just have to get their confirmed CA date and they can book flights! How exciting.

Ally is Ally

What does that mean? Of course, Ally is Ally. What I mean is that she really looks like an Ally to me now. We have had her exactly 3 months now. After waiting for so long, with just a guess of how she would look, she now looks like an Ally. You know how people's names just usually seem to fit them after you get to know them? That's what I mean.

3 months - We shared our videos with my sister, Ellen, and her hubby, Paul, last Thursday night as they passed through on their way home to KY. It was amazing to see the same little girl so scared and tiny. Not that she has grown a lot, but she doesn't look so much like a baby as she did when we first got her. She is spunky and fiesty - we saw none of that 3 months ago. I think I must have been in shock too, at the time.

She has topped 20 pounds, so she is growing. She doesn't have much of an appetite, but she is doing OK. She not only loves school busses, but also airplanes! Still working on "please" - she has "thank you" (or as she says, "tankoo") down pretty consistently (without prompting). She will do her sign for "more" and try to say it for many things - food, spinning, chasing, plopping onto the big bean bag chairs in the basement, etc.

Lunch with 6, 7, 8, and 9

Yes, an explaination is in order! Recently, Ally and I had lunch with some new friends! 4 of us moms of the kids on the May Waiting Child list from Hope. Our girls were #6 Danielle, #7 Shelby, #8 Ally, #9 Frannie. (I think I have the order right - Donna, correct me if I have Danielle and Shelby mixed up)

I still marvel seeing Ally and Frannie together - just little miracles sitting beside us. Also, I'm so happy to have made so many new friends throughout this process! They were so cute riding in the car together. Also, they held hands during the prayer. Ally and Frannie shared nilla wafers and crackers, passing them back and forth.

Ally LOVES chocolate milk now and gets so excited when I give it to her. She rode in the Gator (Daddy's band's) on Sunday night and was all smiles! Tonight she enjoyed listening to her big sisters' IPods (dancing with headphones on) - so cute! She is saying (or giving it a good try) muffin, cookie, doggie, bus (her very favorite thing). When Daddy asks her who he is, she loudly replies, "Ma Ma Ma Ma" and just laughs. She knows that he is daddy because she calls him that when she sees a picture of him. Pretty funny!

She is getting a little whiney when she doesn't get her way, and she has been pinching and slapping and biting. She is very stubborn (smile - 2 year old) and has had a few time-outs in her little rocking chair. We, of course, have things to work on!

I'm just still amazed everyday that she is ours! What a cute little smile.

Zi in the News!

Our friends, the Burkes, are being featured in the Atlanta's newspaper's Living section tomorrow. We met them in Guangzhou at the end of our trip to China. We really had so much fun with their family and consider them friends for life. Since they live in Lawrenceville, we have seen them a few times since returning home. Zi is their little China boy. Click on the Slide Show as well! What a great article!

After Amanda (Zi's mommy) sent me the link this AM, I emailed her right back. My first thought was that most likely there will be several families that will read the article in tomorrow's paper that will be "nudged" toward adoption. God uses many ways to touch people. I think of how many people read the AJC (Atlanta's main paper) and just can't help but imagine that there are families just like ours (a few years ago) that are "tossing" the idea around in their heads and hearts. If I had read this article in the summer of 2005, I would have cried and cried - knowing that God had put this article in the paper JUST FOR ME! So, as today comes to a close, I will pray for that family (or families) who will feel God's nudge as they read the article about little Zi. It may mean a few more orphans in China (or elsewhere) will be closer to a family!!!!! Does it get any better than that?

You can see a few pics of Zi from our trip by scrolling back to the July 24th post.

Once You Notice that Your 2 Year Old is Quiet...

It's probably too late! That is how it happened yesterday afternoon when Ally was suddenly quiet. I found her in Lauren's room with a jumbo purple crayon happily drawing on her wall. I also found evidence of Ally's "art work" on the wall in the hall and our bedroom. Luckily, it all washed off pretty well. She even helped with scrubbing and carried around the wash cloth for most of the afternoon.

Ally attended her first football game at "Daddy's school" tonight! She was most interested in wiggling, running, and eating popcorn, shockers (super sour sweet-tarts) and Sprite. She did like the little football from the cheerleaders!

Mom Song

I just emailed this to several of my friends! It is the most hilarious song I've heard! It's called the MOM SONG.

This will make you laugh outloud - whether you are a mom or have a mom!!!

Congrats!

To our friends, Chad and Melissa, who received their LOA today for Sarah Beth. Hoping their TA comes as quickly as ours!

Also, to Shelby's parents - they got their TA today and will travel THIS month to get her! Shelby was on Ally's list with Hope!

One other congrats is for a family manner! Doug's cousin, Amy and her hubby Todd have a new baby girl, Addison. She was born on Saturday in Ohio and is doing great!

Happy B'day Sara!

Sara turned 14 today! Isn't that just amazing? I can't even begin to imagine what the next few years hold for her and for us! Here she is playing with her little sister! They really have so much fun together and love each other so much. Lauren is doing much better with Ally as well. Ally's face just lights up each afternoon she gets to see Lauren get off the bus!

We really enjoyed today with a lot of outside time - it was so beautiful - sunny and cool this AM, warming up in the afternoon.

Good Kitty

This is Ally "walking" with Sabo, our 17 year old cat! He always was so patient with Sara and Lauren when they were little. I guess he's still the same ole kitty!

Goal -- Stopped!

Lauren had 3 mini-games today. She was excited about playing her new favorite position - goalie. Last year, her coach said that girls who are good goalies can get scholarships pretty easily. That must have inspired her! She has really taken to that position and today she saw a lot of action. Seriously, she must have stopped 40 shots (5 got past her - to her chagrin). The other team's coach told her coach that she played as well as some high school goalies he had seen! She was so tired when the games were over. She is very determinted and quick and not afraid to take a fall or a ball - that comes in handy when playing goalie. Ally, Sara and I stayed entertained with the mini soccer ball and vanilla wafers and threading beads.

Also, last week Lauren joined the Student Council at her school - the picture is with a few of her best friends (Lindsay, Maddie, and Caroline). Ally and Daddy went to the ceremony.

The last picture isn't the best, but I just love how happy Ally and Daddy look playing on the swing this morning at the park.

Please click on each pic to enlarge - it's worth it to see L's expression as she stops a goal and A's expression on the swing!

Home 2 Months!

I'm so glad we aren't on that plane from NJ to Atl., as we were this time 2 months ago. We are just so thrilled with our little China girl and so glad she is here with us and such a perfect fit for our family! She makes us smile so many times each day - we do a lot of laughing with and at her! She laughs at and with us a lot too. I just love her little smile. It's just precious.

Today, a funny thing happened when Lauren and Ally were in the kitchen. I recently moved our cat food dispenser into the kitchen, because I was tired of feeding every cat in the neighborhood. I heard Lauren scream, "Don't eat the cat food!" Oh no, here we go! Ally was smiling her big huge smile and ran into the family room, where I was. Sure enough there was a morsel of cat food in her teeth. She reluctantly spit it into my hand. We went back to the cat bowl and had a chat. We'll see if she understood!

I took her back to the pediatrician today and he said to continue the breathing treatments and that she was improving. He said it was that time of year - yeah!

Fun with Frannie and other things!

Ally and Frannie got to see each other twice last week! We met for lunch one day and chatted at 3rd Friday, too! I would love for Frannie and Ally to play together at either house - where they have toys and can just relax. They are just so cute. It STILL amazes me that they came from SO far away and now live so close to each other! Amazing.

We enjoyed the weekend with 2 pool parties! Thankfully, the weather was beautiful, warm and sunny. Ally jumped like crazy into the pool, even going under totally once! She didn't cry, just came up a little disoriented, but did it again. We celebrated Sara's b'day a week early with a surprise party with some of her friends from school! They scared her so much by jumping out of her closet! She just about fell down! We surprised her by getting her a cell phone - we had told her that she could get one when she got to high school, so it's about a year early! Can't believe she will be 14 this Sunday. The second party was a Sunday School party. These are some of our dearest friends! What fun it is to have a pool - we love to have friends over to help us enjoy it!

How is Ally doing? I would say that, in general, she is doing amazingly well. This has been easier than I ever expected or hoped. Now, please remember, that I had prepared myself for this to be extremely difficult and for Ally to have a really hard time adjusting. Fortunately, this has not been the case. She is a happy little girl and thankfully, she is healthy too. I will say that having Sara and Lauren at their ages has been a tremendous help. They can do most anything she needs - feeding, bathing, playing, changing, etc.

The one part that has been somewhat difficult is the sleeping. I really do not want to get in the habit of rocking/walking her to sleep - I know that isn't doing anyone any favors. So, I'm rocking her a little to settle her down, laying her down and sitting down in her doorway. She is quiet for a minute or so, and then starts the whining and crying and up and downs. Tonight it went on for just shy of an hour! An hour! I don't have an hour to sit in a doorway! I guess I do, because I have to! Thankfully, Daddy puts her to bed most nights (I usually get about 2 nights a week). I am trying not to complain, because I realize that in the grand scheme of things, this is minor!

Ally didn't feel well this weekend - she has a croopie cough and is now on a breathing machine. Not a big pain, other than she tolerates it for about 8 minutes and fights me for the other 7 (that is, if we actually get thru the entire 15 minutes). We go back to the doctor tomorrow to see if she is improving.

She does continue to make us smile so much! As you can see by the pics, she "helps" with laundry - her favorite is when the big sisters' panties come thru. She helps the cat go "night night" by covering him with blankets and Elmo. She loves to see the school bus, especially when Lauren gets off the bus in the afternoon!

Just Enjoying Life

We have been having so much fun spending time outside and playing with toys! Last night was baby dedication at church and Ally wore her pretty white Chinese dress (thanks Ellen, for grabbing us a white on in Guangzhou!). She had no interest in sitting still in a chair at church. Not even Cheerios would keep her still or quiet, so she and I spent most of the time in the foyer with other kids who couldn't handle it either! As we walked across the stage, her diaper almost fell off -- I'm totally serious, almost off. Apparently, she had pulled one of those tabs loose while we were in the lobby and I didn't know it. Luckily, I picked her up just in time to prevent a flashing at the baby dedication! Grandma and Mema, Aunt Amy and Uncle Ted joined us!

Never Ceases to Amaze

God, that is. My friend Melissa called me this afternoon, so excited. They recently found their daughter Sarah Beth on the Hope WC list and hope to have her before Christmas. She began telling me about some friends that had come over to their house to congratulate them about Sarah Beth. One of these families had adopted a year ago and had not seriously considered going again. I guess they were looking at the Hope site to see SB's picture, they also looked at the other children. One of the other little girls caught their eye, and now that family is waiting for that little girl. Why is this so amazing? No, we don't know this family, but we can't help but see that "Red Thread" working to bring families together.

If you (you people out there!) remember, our whole plan was to travel to China with Chad and Melissa. We had worked it all out. They even had Hope hold their dossier a few weeks, so ours could catch up with theirs. It did and we shared the same LID. Everything was just right for us to get our dauthers together and for the girls to most likely be from the same orphanage. Then, God gave us Ally. We pulled out of the waiting line to get her, leaving our dear friends to continue the long wait. Because we had pulled out (part of the reason), they decided to look at the new WC list that just came out and found SB there. Then, leading their friends to their new daughter. SO, because we found Ally, the Millers found SB, and this other family found thier daughter! Now we can see yet another reason that Ally was the perfect girl for our family! Isn't that the coolest thing?

As Melissa and I were talking, I told her that after reading her blog, I realized yet another link in this whole story. She mentioned that they had gone to the Steven Curtis Chapman concert in 2001 when Josh was turning 7 -- that was were the "seed" was planted in their hearts for China adoption. Well, we had the same exact "seed" (well, I did) planted at the same exact concert only a few weeks before they did, as we had taken Sara to the same tour for her 8th b'day (Sara and Josh are one year apart)! I just couldn't believe that we had never uncovered that link either!

Lots to Celebrate

Sunday afternoon we celebrated Ally's arrival with several friends from "school." Many of these ladies I would have never met had it not been for Sara and Lauren. Thru them, I have made so many good friends. Laura, Suzanne, and Tracey gave us the nicest party for Ally. Lots of delicious (and beautiful) food and so many nice gifts for our little lady! Ally still doesn't "get" the whole idea of opening presents, so Lauren was glad to assist. Several of the girls' teachers were there, that I have become friends with, so that was especially nice to see them (I think they enjoyed seeing Sara and her friends, since they are no longer at the elem school). I'll post pics in a day or so!

Today was Ally's cardiologist appointment. She was quite concerned to be at the doctor AGAIN, but did fine, except for when I needed to lay her down (on the scale, to be measured, to have her echo-cardiogram, etc). She did fine when they put the stickers all over her chest. SO, when the doctor came in and listened, she said she didn't hear anything (no PDA), but she wanted to do an echo-cardiogram (ultra sound of the heart) anyway. One side note, about 5 minutes into the exam, the doctor casually mentioned that she too had a daughter from China! How neat is that?

The echo took about 20 minutes total; Ally was DONE after about 10 minutes and cried the rest of the time. I think she was nervous, even though I was holding her the whole time. Although the doctor didn't hear anything, she did see Ally's PDA in the echo; however, she did say it was tiny. She said that there were no restrictions on her activity or anything! She said that her heart condition was so minor it's surprising it was ever detected.

So, we are just so thankful that our prayers for our little girl have been answered and that God has protected her and healed her. We will have to go back for another evaluation in one year! Celebrating!

Frannie and Ella Kate

Last night we joined our friends from First Friday in Loganville. Tim and Lisa were great hosts! We did a little slide show of our trip to China and I was so glad that there were a few families who are waiting for their children that joined us! I sat there last night watching Ally play and smile; I still can't believe that we have her, that she is ours for good and that I get to take her home with us everytime! I told Sharon (Ella Kate's mom) that I felt that way and she said she still can't believe it about EK (they've been home a year and a half!).

Anyway, Ella Kate gave Ally some really sweet goodies, one was a satin pillow. Ally still isn't sure about gifts, so she was rather uninterested as I opened the present with her, directing her attention to the blocks she was holding. When I put that pillow on the ground, she dropped the blocks and laid her head on the pillow and gave us the biggest smile (thanks for the pic, Sharon, I snagged it from your blog). We had such a good time. I am reminded again how hard this wait is, as there are several families who are just getting started...

What a fun day we had today. After sitting and sweating thru almost 2 of Lauren's soccer games, we ditched our plans to join daddy and Sara at the GT game this afternoon. We came home early and called Ellen (Frannie's mom) to see if we could make our visit a little earlier. Lauren and I were so excited to see these 2 little girls reunited. Lauren hoped they would look at each other and start speaking Chinese (remembering their "private jokes" and friends from the orphanage), and run to each other and hug. Well, it didn't quite happen like that, but they sure were cute with each other. They didn't really act like they recognized each other at first, but I do think they did remember each other. It was as if they looked at each other and said, "I know that I know you, but from where?" They are still recovering from jet-lag, but the girls enjoyed sitting with Lauren and riding (and pushing) Frannie's wagon. Ellen said that Frannie had not been comfortable with any children that had visited until she saw Ally! It was funny, as we tried to call them all of their names! I'm so glad they are home and hope to see them again soon. It still amazes me that these little girls came from over 7000 miles away and now only live about 20 miles apart! What a special friendship I hope they have over the years...

Double GOOD NEWS!

First of all, our friends Chad and Melissa (who HAVE to get a blog going SOON!) accepted the referral of a little girl who will soon be their daughter, Sarah Beth! We are so excited about this and can't wait for them to travel and meet her in person. For those who don't know, our families shared the same LID for our adoptions. When we "found" Ally, we "bailed" on them. Now it's their turn to go! Sarah Beth is in southern China, so hopefully they won't freeze on their trip. We are hoping and praying that they will have her home by Christmas!!!

Secondly, Frannie is home! I just checked their blog and Ellen posted their red couch pics and Frannie is smiling! So glad they are done with their trip - now they just need to recover from the jet-lag -- which I remember all too well. Anyway, I hope to talk to Ellen tomorrow. Frannie looks so much like Ally - they obviously had the same beautician/ hair dresser! I cannot wait for the girls to see each other. I wonder what their reaction will be and how much they will remember each other. Maybe they will "talk" in Chinese baby talk to each other.

Adoption TV Shows

I found this info on the "Rumor Queen" site today...

Arthur: Binky gets a sister from China
From PBSkids, premering this Friday, September 7th

In an upcoming Arthur show, his friend Binky Barnes gets a sister from China. The producers are said to have done their homework and researched the process as well as talked to families to get their input on the show. People who have seen it say it is very well done and they are impressed. I can’t wait to see this one.

Ni Hao, Kai-Lan
From Nick Jr, premiering October 22nd

NI HAO, KAI-LAN is supposed to be a Chinese version of Dora. A play-along, think-along series starring Kai-lan Chow, a playful, adventurous preschooler who speaks both English and Mandarin. Kai-Lan and her animal friends are guided by her YeYe (grandfather) through their adventures. I hope this series is done well, and I hope Kai-Lan ends up with as much merchandise as Dora.