We officially had our first holiday with Ella. It was wonderful. All of our family that lives close to us was here and it was a really nice day. Everyone has their favorite recipes to make and they make it well, so all was good. I always stress a little about the turkey but even that turned out fine. Ella took the longest nap since she's been home. She fell asleep in her highchair and didn't even wake up when I moved her to the bed. I think I'm gonna cook some more turkey and freeze it for those days she won't take a nap!!

All in all, everything is going fine. She is still adjusting well with no problems. Her exercises are coming along nicely. We found a way to get her to do them without too much fussing....candy. She gets one Reeses Pieces after every exercise so she does them willingly now.

Now that Christmas is around the corner it's getting exciting around here. I can't wait to see her face when she wakes up to see what Santa has brought her. I am just about through shopping for all of the kids and the weather has been pretty cold lately so it's really starting to feel like the Christmas season is upon us.

One month ago today we landed back in the USA with its newest citizen. We actually waited until we landed in Texas to let her touch her feet on the ground. It was worth waiting for. Michigan soil wasn't good enough for such a monumental event!! I need to make her a shirt that says "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could!"

She is adjusting to her new life very well. I think she seeems like she's been here all of her life. She takes to everyone at church very well. We haven't tried the nursery yet, but then again I didn't use it much for Logan and Noah either. All of the girls at church, big and small, love to make over her. They take turns holding her and walking around with her holding her hand. She is a big celebrity there.

Halloween was fun. We had our Trunk or Treat event at the church on October 29th and she did really well. I was afraid all the costumes would scare her but it didn't. She was a Ladybug (of course) and Noah was a skeleton. Trick or Treating was fun too. We went to a few houses on our street and to both grandparents' houses and then a party at a friends house. It was a big night but it was fun.

We went to Shriner's Hospital on the 12th of November. We had really great news. No surgery for now. They gave us some exercises to do with her and they want to see her back in three months to see if she makes any progress. If she does, we will continue with that and go from there. If not, she may need surgery for a tendon transfer. Sounds painful and we are praying she won't need that. Sometimes the exercises seem to hurt her and sometimes she gets irritated with us but mostly she lets us do it.

Her English comprehension is amazing. She is starting to say a few words but understands everything we say. She is so smart.

I'll try to post some new pictures of her soon.

Priscella

We are finally home and have some time to post to the blog. Things are so much better with Ella now that we are home. She did so well with our welcoming crew (friends and close family). I expected her to cry when they got here but not a tear was shed. She is adjusting to life in America pretty well. With the exception of not wanting to sleep at night she is doing awesome. She woke up today with fever so we suspect the sleepless nights are from her ear infection. Our first trip to the pediatrician and we haven't even been home a week. That's par for the course, I'm sure.

Things are much better on the bonding issue with me and Ella. I think things are going to be fine. We just needed some space away from the guys for a while. Tomorrow I will be all on my own. Dale goes back to work so I will have to get the kids both to school and manage with a toddler. Whew!! Gonna be hectic in the morning.

I will try to post some new pictures before I go to bed.

Love to all,
Priscella

Day 13 with Ella. Today was our last day in China. We shopped and rested up for our long trip home. Most of the friends we have made have alreay left and it was kind of lonesome. We packed this evening and it was hard to get everything back where it came from. We emptied the food suitcase a long time ago but it has been replace with souvenirs so we have less room than what we started with but we did it. Jenn, I really could have used your help again. Kind of sad and happy at the same time. Very happy to be going home. I can't wait to see everyone and for you all to see Ella but this was really a trip I will never forget and I hate for it to be over.

Well, we are off early tomorrow for many hours and many miles so I must go to bed early. Will call you when we are able.

Love to all,
Priscella

Day 12 with Ella. Today we had our Consulate Appointment and our swearing in ceremony. We were supposed to do that tomorrow but for some reason we did it today. It was really uneventful and anticlimactic. All we had to do was bring Ella up to a window to let one of the workers see that we matched our passport pictures and then as a group we raised our right hand and swore that all of our paperwork was correct and truthful. That was it. The bus ride to the Consulate took longer than the swearing in did.

We now have another free day before we leave. We thought about moving up our flight to tomorrow but Kelly said it would cost to change it and we already paid for one more night at the hotel which cannot be refunded so we will stay and enjoy China one more day. I am kind of sad that we will be leaving. I hope some day we get to come back and just enjoy it without all of the appointments and stress that this trip has had. I hope Ella gets to see her homeland when she is older and let her experience it for herself.

I know I promised pictures and I will post them as soon as I finish this. Cannot wait to see everyone. I miss you more than you know.

Love to all,
Priscella

Day 10 and 11 with Ella. Yesterday we went to a traditional Chinese market. It was the oldest market in Guangzhou. Before we left Kelly, our guide, informed us that Ella should have gotten three shots the other day because we are under the Hague rules so we had to go back to the Medical office before we went to the market. I was unhappy that she had to get those shots here. I was so worried about it but she did fine and she hasn't had any problems. She was really good. She didn't even hardly cry. The first shot made her quiver a bit and I thought she was having a convulsion, scared me to death. She cried after the second shot for just a few seconds. Poor baby. I don't even like my babies getting shots in America much less here.

The market was filled with many sights and smells. Some good, some bad. Some really, really bad. There was a man spreading dried roaches out on a blanket for sell and I thought I would lose it right there. There was just about everything imaginable that can be dried for sell. Once we walked through the herbal section there were lots of different pets for sale. Of course our Noah wanted to buy them all. Dogs, cats, bunnies, chicks, turtles, fish. You name it, it was for sale. It was a long walk from the hotel to the market. We ate at McDonald's and Ella had her first, I'm sure of many, Happy Meal. Then we walked back to the hotel.

Today and tomorrow are free days for us. We are not needed at our Consulate Appointment. Kelly will take our paperwork there tomorrow and then Friday we will go to the swearing in ceremony and get her Visa and we will be free and clear. She will be all ours. When the plane lands in the US Saturday evening she will officially be an American!!! I can't wait for that day.

Well, I've shopped a little more than I probably should have but it is hard to resist. The shops are literally right outside the door of the hotel. I want to get Ella something she can keep always and use when she is grown but I haven't found that perfect thing yet. So far all I've gotten for her is traditional Chinese clothes and squeaky shoes. I will think on it tonight and decide. Noah got a Chinese chess set and Logan has his eye on a sword he wants. Dale and I haven't gotten anything yet. Too many things to choose from. I really already have the perfect thing to bring home from China to remember my trip by. She really has the cutest personality. Very funny and sweet. Loves to put everything where it is supposed to be. She is my little helper girl.

Every time I come back to the room with another bag she looks at it like, "So what'd you get me this time, Mommy?" I've had to try everything on her to make sure it fits and she loves to do that. It's really cute. I bought some Pony-O's to put her hair up in piggy tails but I need to practice a bit. Not as easy as it looks. I will post a picture of my first attempt.

I think we will take a boat ride tomorrow night on the river. They pass up and down all night and we can see them from our room. It looks like it would be really fun.

Love to all,
Priscella

Day nine with Ella. She had her medical examination today and had her visa picture taken. The exam was a joke. Not even sure why they do it, but it had to be done. She was seen by several doctors. The seemed perplexed about her arm. They discussed a lot and tried to get her to use it but she wasn't in the mood. I think she was sort of scared. They weighed her and she weighs 24.7 pounds. I didn't hear what her height was. Most people say she looks tall for her age. I don't think so. Maybe because her legs are long. I'm glad she has long legs.

After the doctors visit we went to the zoo here in Guangzhou. It was a really pretty one. There was only one panda and he was sleeping so we didn't get a good look at him. Mainly tigers, lions, elephants, giraffes and monkeys. A few hippos and some really pretty white Swans. Usual zoo animals. It rained most of the day so we have stayed inside.

Today is Logan's birthday. He turned 15. Where have all the years gone. Just yesterday he was Ella's age. I don't think this is how he would have liked to spend his birthday, but he was a trooper and went along for the ride. We ate at Lucy's again. Closest thing to American food here. We found an Italian restaurant we want to try. Maybe tomorrow. It is beginning to feel like we will never come home. We are so homesick for everyone and everything we can't hardly stand it. Only five more days until we leave.

Had some laundry done yesterday. Every shop down the island does laundry. kind of weird. Much cheaper here than in Beijing. We made the mistake of getting the hotel to do it and it was $100 for two loads of clothes. HUGE mistake. We didn't get the bill until we checked out and it was a shocker. Won't make that mistake again. It was only $8.00 for a small load. Much better. I need to send some more tomorrow now that I know it's that cheap.

We are going to an outside market tomorrow. Our Consulate appointment isn't until the 16th and it takes a day to get her visa. Then we will be free and clear. Whoohoo! Can't wait. Everyone is getting still and trying to go to sleep so I will sign off and join them. Not too many pictures take today so I will add some tomorrow.

Love to all,
Priscella

Day seven and eight with Ella. Yesterday started early. We had a 7:30 flight from Inner Mongolia to Guangzhou so we had to be up at 4:00. The flight was about 3 hours and she did pretty good. Hopefully that's a good indication for our flight home. We really like it here. The hotel is huge. I've seen pictures of it on their website but I didn't expect so many restaurants and shops inside the lower level. And everyone here speaks ENGLISH. Thank goodness. I feel like we are back in civiliazation. There are lots of shops just as you step outside the door on the side entrance. We shopped some yesterday and ate at Lucy's Bar and Grill. The boys were so excited that they had hamburgers and Mexican food on the menu. We ordered a grilled cheese sandwich for Ella and she at almost all of it. She really liked the french fries with ketchup but her favorite was the garnish lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. She really likes vegetables and fruit. At least I have one healthy eater in our family.

It was our 22nd anniversary yesterday but it was so hectic we hardly realized it. The beds here are little smaller than the last hotel so we are really cramped. They had a baby bed set up in here when we arrived but she won't have any part of that so we sent it back.

Today we went to see the Chen Family Academy. It was really interesting. It was built originally by the Chen family to house their ancestors to come to Guangzhou to study for the Imperial examination to become a high-ranking government official. Then we went to a "mall" (sort of) to shop for baby. I found her some cute white and pink shoes. I also found the most adorable pair of black and white shoes but they didn't have her size. I should have bought the bigger ones and she probably could have worn them next year but I want to save my money for other things. I want to buy her a traditional chinese outfit. I saw lots of them yesterday but I couldn't decide on a color. They aren't expensive, only around $3.50 so I may but a couple of different colors. I haven't found the type of silk I was looking for to make her baptism dress yet. I'm thinking I may get one of the traditional dresses in white and use that.

She is naping now and we have free time for the rest of the day so I may just nap too. Take it when you can get it, I say.

I got her "Going home Barbie" today. It was on the desk when we came back from our outing this morning. She is so cute. I wish there was a choice of hair color for the Mommy. She's really blonde but the baby is too cute. There is a playroom downstairs that I want to bring her to this afternoon. It is provided by Mattel as well. Cool idea.

Well, I have some individual emails to answer so I will write more tomorrow.

Priscella

Day six with Ella. We visited a museum today. There was a traveling exhibit of National Treasures that is leaving tomorrow so we just were able to see it. It was really interesting. Got lots of good pictures. She was so good the whole time. We were there about three hours and she never cried or even got irritable. What an angel.

We also stopped by KFC again. Michael must think all we think about is food. It was so good. We got it to go and ate it in the room. You should have seen us. We were like a bunch of animals at feeding time. This time we got two buckets and it still wasn't enough.

We leave Inner Mongolia tomorrow at 7:20 so we have to be downstairs in the lobby at 5:30. Not a problem for us since we go to sleep early and wake up early. I think the flight is 3 hours so we will get a taste of how Ella will do on an airplane.

Guangzhou has a lot of shops within walking distance from the hotel and is where everyone gets their souvenirs. If anyone wants something specific, email me at elad_snrub@yahoo.com and I'll try to get it for you if we have room in the suitcases to bring it all home. I've been looking forward to that part of the trip. You all know how much I love to shop. I want to make a list tomorrow on the plane of what I want to buy for Ella. This will be fun.

She's eating an Oreo right now and loving it. She likes the center part the best. It's so much fun watching her experience things she never has had the change to experience before. What American baby hasn't had an Oreo? I know you don't miss what you've never had, but these things sure makes life fun. I love her so much.

Day five with Ella. Things are definitely getting better. She will now let me change her diaper and change her clothes without a fight. She isn't potty trained as we were told when she came here. Maybe she is "squatty trained" but she's not potty trained. She will let me feed her if Dale is touching her. We have been playing some today and I think the bonding process between us is beginning. It seems as though she thinks she would be betraying her foster mother if she accepts me as her new Mommy because every time she looks at me she starts crying for her Ma-Ma and De-De which is her little brother. Every now and then she says Lao-Lao which is her grandmother. She must miss them so much. I can't imagine being ripped from their home and never seeing them again. Part of me feels it's wrong. I know she will be better off with us but it still seems wrong to take her from everything she knows. When we are outside she scans all around as if she is trying to find her mother's face in the crowded city. I wish we could have met them. I want to know where she lived. Where she slept. Where she ate. I want to know everything about her before we leave here. A part of her will forever be left behind.

Egg rolls and fried rice. Where are all the egg rolls and fried rice? I haven't seen any egg rolls yet and they are my favorite.

We missed the lunch buffet so we had to wait until 6:00 pm to eat. They are all beginning to know us down in the restaurant. The chef came out to meet us when we walked in and watched us lift all the lids to the different dishes on the buffet and asked if we were looking for the "spaghetti with tomatoes" we had last night and we said "yes". He soon returned with a huge plate of spaghetti for us. The boys devoured it and so I asked if there was fried rice anywhere and just as quickly as he brought the spaghetti he returned with a plate of fried rice. I guess since this is a "western restaurant" (not as western as we would like it to be) there isn't even soy sauce on the tables so he brought me a bowl of it for my rice. "To-go boxes" seem to lose something in translation. He brought me out a plastic bag and dumped the rice off the plate into it for me to bring to Dale. I'm posting a picture of him eating it straight out of the bag.

Tomorrow we go to a museum. It's the largest one in Inner Mongolia. Getting out of this room for anything will be a treat for us all. We've been cooped up in here for two days and we are stir crazy. It's 7:00 and that's become our new bedtime so I'll write more tomorrow.

Love to all,
Priscella

Day four with Ella. Today we signed more papers to get her passport. We should get it tomorrow. Ella and I went with Michael to the immigration office to prove that I was the one adopting her. Not sure what that really proved. Just another hoop jumped through out of many.

I think things are getting better between she and I. She will now let me dress her without fighting me and I bathed her tonight. Dale still had to be in the room but she didn't fight me. She didn't enjoy it as much as she has the other times. Maybe she's really tired. She wouldn't even sit in the water.

Tonight Logan, Noah and I went to eat in the restaurant downstairs. Dale ate some noodles we bought at the store the other day so he stayed in the room with Ella. We actually had fun. They weren't actually open yet when we got there so we waited for them to put all the food out on the buffet one dish at a time. After a while they would pass by our table and show it to us before they put it down. We all got a lesson on how to use chopsticks. We ate all of our food with them and we were actually pretty good at it. We found some spaghetti and we ate all they put out on our first helping. They didn't put any out until they thought we were through. Huh, they don't know my boys very well. I ate some dumplings and some noodles with vegetables. I guess it's true, you really will eat anything when you truly hungry. Actually, it was pretty good.

Well, Ella is getting sleepy and I want to lay down by her. To be continued.

Priscella

Day three with Ella. She is starting to figure out she's not going back home. We found out today she was in foster care and I think that is making the transition harder on her than I thought it would be. She isn't crying as much as she was yesterday but you can tell when she thinks of her foster family and she starts crying.

She is so smart. She can already say Noah and Logan. Of course she already used ba-ba and ma-ma for her foster parents so I think she is confused. Apparently they have two children of their own. One of them must have been a younger brother because she calls out for de-de alot and Michael our guide said that is baby brother. The other one must have been an older brother because she said ge-ge pretty quickly and that is for older brother. Noah was thrilled. She is very headstrong, just like the rest of her family. She's going to fit in just fine.

Inner Mongolia is a lot different than Beijing. I don't think they are used to foreigners. No one speaks a word of English in the hotel and Michael is staying in another hotel. I'm not sure why. Maybe the agency makes him stay at a cheaper one. Who knows. When you ask for toilet paper they bring you writing paper and when you ask for a glass of ice water they bring you boiling water in a drinking glass. We still have four more days here until we leave. The boys are getting restless. Ready for American food. We had McDonalds yesterday and it didn't set well with me. Today we had KFC and it was so good I didn't care at the time. I hope I don't regret it. We haven't eaten a real meal since we at breakfast in Beijing. I feel like I've lost at least five pounds but it doesn't look like it in the pictures. They say the camera adds 10 pounds. So maybe I have lost some. Logan said he was finally full when we left KFC. I told them we wouldn't leave until everyone was full. Ella likes mashed potatoes and chicken. Ice cream too.

The driving here is horrendous. No one pays attention to lane boundaries and the people walking and riding bikes almost dare you to hit them. Our driver is really a nice man. He's this little old man who doesn't speak English but loves Ella. He keeps wanting to hold her. When she cries he talks to her in Chinese to comfort her. He is sweet. Michael is always with us unless we are in our room. We don't have anything planned for tomorrow. We are a day ahead since we got Ella a day earlier than we were supposed to.

There have been a lot of weddings at this hotel. They shoot off fireworks when someone gets married. We saw some last night and we saw two brides today. They were so pretty. I pictured them being Ella one day. So much fun to have a girl already. Her clothes I packed fit her pretty good. I didn't pack enough warm clothes, though. It is really, really cold here in the north. It will be warmer in Guangzhou, I think. I'm going to sign off and post some pictures of our little princess.

Priscella

We have Xuehong/Ella and she is everything and more of what we envisioned!!! She was so scared when she got to the hotel. She cried, and cried and cried. Poor baby. She's so beautiful and she has HAIR. I didn't expect that. Our guide met us in the lobby around 3:40 and we waited together for her. He went outside and met them and them they came in with her. We tried to comfort her but she was not happy being with these people she's never seen the likes of. We had to sign some documents and take pictures for the orphanage and then they let us take her to the room. She was still crying and Dale sung to her and rocked her by the window and she fell asleep still gasping the whole time with every breath even as she slept. I knew she would be scared and I am prepared for it to take a while for her to take to us but it breaks my heart to see her cry like that. I wish I knew how to console her.

She actually has some movement in her arm and I am thrilled to see that. She is so bundled up because it's so cold today and we didn't want to upset her anymore than she already was so maybe when she wakes up we will bathe her and see just how much movement she actually has. I think she has a great chance at really being able to use it with surgery and therapy.

It feels strange having someone hand me a baby and have her be mine. I've dreamed of this day for so long and I am sooo happy and can't put it into words just how wonderful today was.

It's going to take some time finding out all the little things about her but for now all I know is she still takes a bottle but is potty trained. (All those cute gdiapers and she won't even be able to wear them.

Well, I want to see her eyes open when she wakes up so I'm going to stare at her while she's sleeping. We've moved her from Dale to me and back to him and she's still asleep. I hope that's a good sign.

Love to all,
Priscella

Today was a whirlwind of a day. Sorry I don't have enough space on flickr.com to post very many pictures and I want to save room for Gotcha Day pics and it's so late and we have an early morning tomorrow so I will just post a synopsis of our day.

We had our Beijing tours of Tienanmen Square, Forbidden City and the Great Wall. It was a national Holiday and there were sooo many people at all of these places. We started out the day with overcast skies and it was cool but as the day progressed it started raining and got really down right chilly. The Forbidden City is so much larger than I expected it to be. You just kept going deeper inside one wall after another. It was just beautiful. Our guide was really patient and told us so many things about each part. We had lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant and it was an experience. Most of it was unrecognizable but we all found something that would satisfy us even though we walked away hungry.

The Great Wall is just that. Great. As we entered the part of China in the van where we were to start the tour we started seeing huge mountains and we were dropped off at the entrance and were told to go as far as we could and have time to come back down in an hour and a half. It was really raining by this time and we were a little dissapointed that it wasn't prettier. Dale and the boys are much braver than I am and I just got to the landing where the steps really get steep and decided I didn't want to walk up and down wet, anient steps just to say I did it, so I waited for them all to come down. The boys got really cold and Dale is regretting going as high as he did but he got some really cool pictures.

On the ride back to the hotel I got some really GREAT news. Our guide who will be going with us to Ella's province said he is going to try to get them to bring her to us tomorrow afternoon (Sunday here) instead of waiting for Monday morning!!!! I cannot wait until then. I don't know if I can sleep tonight. So in less than 24 hours we will have Ella in our arms. I can't believe it's real. This all feels like a dream. I will try to post as soon as we can. I guess it will be early, early in the morning when we get her and I don't know an exact time, but tune in often and I promise I will have at least a few photos to share. I know all of you are anxious and I won't leave you hanging any longer than I have to but it all depends on how she is when we get back to the room.

Love everyone,
Priscella

WOW! We are actually here. I can't believe it. Our trip here was good, long but good. Eleven hours on the flight from Minnesota to Japan was hard on all of us. It was crazy. We ate three times on just that one flight. We had a wonderful day today. We had a free day to relax and do what we wanted before we start the tours of the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. We decided to be adventurous and we took the subway and a taxi to the Beijing Zoo. It was hard but everyone who spoke english was very helpful. The zoo was beautiful and the pandas were adorable. Saw lots of animals but we were the big attraction. Everyone wanted to take their picture with our kids. It was cute. Noah got a big kick out of it. The weather is wonderful. It's in the 70s and I'm luvin it. Of course the room is another story. They turn the air off after summer cause it's almost "winta-time"...go figure. We have the windows open but it's still hot. I can hear the sounds down below of China. How cool is this. I'M IN CHINA. Can't believe it. Well, we'll get Ella in three days. I'm counting the minutes until I have her. All the adorable little girls we saw today was torture. I wanted to have my Ella with me while we were there. She would have loved seeing all the animals. We're going to have to bring her to the Houston Zoo soon.

Well, that's all for now. I'll post more tomorrow.

Priscella

WE ARE OFFICIALLY LEAVING FOR CHINA!!!! October 1st at 10:42 we will be off for China to go get our girl!! We finally got our Consolate Appointment for October 16th which means Gotcha Day will be October 5th or 6th. I can hardly wait. It feels like a dream and I don't want to wake up. I need to start packing but I don't know where to begin.

We survived Hurricane Ike without any damage but some of my family didn't fair so well but all are safe and sound so we are blessed. Keep everyone in your prayers. Some are just without power and some need to find another place to live. They are all staying here for now and I am enjoying their company and glad to be able to help them in this small way.

We got some good news today. We have a tentative travel date. It looks like we will be traveling to go get our girl October 3rd. Yippee!!!! It could change if the Consolate doesn't have any appointments left on the 14th, but I think we are safe to say that's when we are leaving. I didn't expect that call today so things are moving quickly now. Only one more form to fill out and we are ready to go. That one should only take about 5 working days to get back so I think we are good. Now we have to buy the airline tickets....ugh. They are about $1800 each!!

Our raffle is taking off slowly so we need to kick it up a notch. I will be selling tickets for any of you that don't feel comfortable donating on the computer. So, if you see me somewhere, I will have them on me.

Priscella

Well, another hurricane has come and gone and we have been blessed once again with no damage. Hurricane Gustav did not come close to Orange and we are so thankful. We did have a mandatory evacuation and we were gone for four days. We took advantage of the situation and made it a little mini vacation as we did not go anywhere this summer. Trying to save up for our trip to China. Hope everyone had a safe trip and everything is back to normal now.

As stated in my last post, we are conducting a fundraising raffle for our trip. We are required to make a $3,000 donation to the orphanage and we need help coming up with that amount. If you would like to register to win either the Nintendo Wii or an iPod Shuffle, just find the red box and click on "Chip In" and you can register as many times as you wish. Please feel free to let family and friends know about the raffle. Good luck and may the best person win!!!

We are so close to going to China to go get our Ella. We have just about everything we need for our trip. Our fingerprinting appointment is Tuesday August 26th and that's a good thing. I am going to start packing next week when the kids start school so we are very excited about that. The only thing is we are so afraid we are going to run short on funds. I saw a really neat idea online the other day and thought we might as well give it a shot. We are conducting a raffle for a Wii and an iPod shuffle to be given away In September. Please feel free to tell your friends and coworkers about this so we will achieve our goal of $3000.00. I'll keep you updated on how the raffle is going.

Priscella

I have the most wonderful friends in the world. They gave me the best baby shower last night. Everything was beautiful and I received some amazing gifts. Thank you guys for loving me and my Ella so much. I'm having fun playing with all my new stuff.

I think we should be getting close to having an appointment for our fingerprinting. That will be a HUGE step. Can't wait for that to happen.

Priscella

Well, we are one step closer to Ella! We received our travel approval from China today!!. We started our application for our visas and we are still waiting for our fingerprinting appointment. Our agency is really trying to help expidite this and has really been great to work with. We also need our Consulate appointment and we will be ready to go. We found out today we probably will not be going to Beijing because the Olympics will still have a lot of activity there in September even though the games will be over. Our agency will not be sending any groups to Beijing in August and September and if it means skipping Beijing to get Ella a month sooner, you bet I will. I don't want to wait until October just to go to Beijing. We will probably go back to China when she is older and we will for sure go there then. But until that time comes, I don't care what I miss to be with her sooner. More news when we hear something.

Priscella

Last night Dale put Ella's picture in a paint program on his computer and "painted" hair on her to see what she would look like if they hadn't cut her hair. It was too funny. I think I like her better the way she is. Noah and I did that a while back and it looked even worse. I'm not very good at painting with a mouse. I'm much better with a brush.

Today our good friends from church baptized their beautiful miracle baby. He was born 4 months early and only weighed 1.5 lbs and now a year later he weighs over 14 lbs. Congratulations Cole Dallen Cooper!!

My fingerprinting paperwork and Letter Seeking Confirmation form is ready to go in the mailbox tomorrow. Hopefully that will be the end of a long list of forms we, or should I say "I" have filled out. Now we will just have to wait for the fingerprinting appointment and then our travel arrangements and Consolate Appointment and we will be off.

I'm tired and since it's a day of rest, I think I will go take a nap.

Priscella

June 12th will be ingraved in my memory forever! More news to come really, really soon!

January is flying by and still no referral. Now that GWCA, our agency, is posting their "waiting child" list on their website I feel a little more in control. There are lots of boys and only two girls but they are older than what we would like to have. So, hold on Ella, we are still coming, just not right now!

Can't put it down!

If you haven't already read this book it is a must read. Snowflower and the Secret Fan is a great book. I'm not much of a reader but I can't put this one down. Okay, so it's about 19th century China and I guess I'm into all things Chinese, but it is really good. I'm about halfway through and hope to finish it this weekend.

Xin Nian Kuai Le! (Happy New Year!)

Momma is doing much better. Thank you all for your prayers. She is home and is recuperating.
No news on Ella but we are going to schedule our homestudy update. We need to update it to get approved for a special needs child. We also will be doing our fingerprinting again soon. They will expire before we travel so we need to redo those as well as our I-171H.
CHA-CHING! ($$$)

Priscella

Need your prayers. Mom is not starting the new year off right. Was put in the hospital today with pneumonia and congestive heart failure. Please pray she recovers quickly and feels better soon.