Long-Awaited Update

Hello to all--sorry about the 5 month wait on updating our blog. The first half of the school year seemed to fly by without much warning and then suddenly the holidays are over and a new year has begun. Where has all the time gone? January 19th will be one year since we first saw Shae Rose's face, and the light at the end of the tunnel.

On September 17th, Shae had outpatient oral surgery, receiving 5 crowns and 1 filling. It took almost 3 months to coordinate the insurance and to wait for our scheduled date, but it finally happened and Shae was proud to show everyone her "new teeth" (including the grocery store check-out people, gas station cashiers, and bank tellers!).

Shae Rose completed her 2nd round of swim lessons at the end of October. She really enjoyed herself and I am seeing alot of progress. She keeps asking when are we going to open our pool, and can't understand why it's not fun to swim in 56 degree water. She's really looking forward to getting back out there.

My mother came to visit in October also, and met Shae for the first time. Shae and I went to the Atlanta Airport to pick her up, just us two. As soon as my mom spotted Shae, she teared up. She was so happy to meet her for the first time. They spent alot of quality one-on-one time together; playing cards, singing, reading, coloring, and playing games. My mother isn't traveling as much these days, so for her to come all the way down to Georgia from Wisconsin was pretty special.

Shae Rose experienced alot of "firsts" from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to seeing the ocean for the first time. She dressed up as a princess for Halloween and loved getting all that candy (which is already gone--Jared is still working on his). After the first 3 houses she gave a big "whew" and I told her she has to do the walking in order to get the candy. She didn't complain for the remainder of the 2hours of trick-or-treating. :) Our family always takes a short vacation over Thanksgiving, as all of our relatives live in WI. We usually alternate the mountains and the beach, and this year it was the beach. We drove to Destin, Florida and spent some time at the gulf. She was awed by the water as she splashed on the edges, but the first time walking the beach ended up in screaming and crying as she was afraid of the crabs walking in the sand and the jelly fish that were washing up on the shore. The next day we were suppose to spend the whole afternoon out by the ocean, so I was alittle worried that it wasn't going to go well. Thankfully, I was wrong. Shae had a great time playing in the sand the whole time. When we first told her that she was going to see the ocean, she knew that dolphins lived there and the only thing she wanted to do was see them jump out of the water. I told that it was possible, but that you never know when it will happen..... Jeffrey and I wanted to make sure she saw a real dolphin, so we drove to Panama City and saw a dolphin show as a surprise. Jared and Shae loved it; they even got to touch one!! That was the highlight of the whole trip for Shae Rose; her trip was complete. I don't think Shae will ever forget her first Christmas either. She was not afraid to meet Santa. The only thing she asked of him for Christmas was a slinky. At the end of their visit, Santa gave Shae a small coloring book. She had a certain look on her face as she walked back to me -- I was confused because I thought they had a nice visit. After she approached me, I asked her what was wrong. She gave me the coloring book and said, "I don't want this--I asked Santa for a slinky." I then told her that she had to wait for Christmas day to see if Santa would give her the slinky. She understood, but was still disappointed. :) Shae Rose was in her first program at church with other pre-schoolers and they sang two songs. According to Shae Rose, they were "The Stable Song" and "Twinkling Star." She did a great job; she loves to perform. She loved learning lots of Christmas songs from the radio also, which she is still singing (just now she was singing "Santa Baby"). Other favorites of hers are "Winter Wonderland," "Frosty the Snowman," "Rudolph," and "O Holy Night." One of our favorite days during the school break, before the 25th, was "Jammie Day." Jared, Shae, and I stayed in our p.j.'s all day. We played in our jammies, rode our bikes outside in our jammies, watched "It's a Wonderful Life" and ate popcorn in our jammies, and read Christmas stories and had hot chocolate and candy canes, too. It was a great day! But, of course, Christmas eve (going to church and then out for an Italian meal) and Christmas day (watching the kids open their presents) were the best. The biggest blessing is that Shae Rose understands the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Jared is doing well; he is beginning to embrace his big brother role. He is protective of Shae Rose, but he also gets typically annoyed as all older siblings get with their younger bro/sis. Their common bond is "Sponge Bob." They get along best when they are watching Sponge Bob together (each holding their Sponge Bob pillow that they got from mom and dad for Christmas). Other favorites are throwing a light-weight frisbee back and forth in the livingroom, wrestling with their dad (they call it "hop on pop"), and Shae's all-time favorite of riding on Jared's back around the house playing horsie.

Jared has become very independent his fifth grade year at St. Luke School, managing his time and his homework. We are especially proud because the first and second quarters he was on the Principal's List with all A's. His favorite subjects are Science and Social Studies. I can't believe that this school year is 1/2 done already, and middle school is around the corner!

Jared also continues to enjoy being on the Hurricane swim team. He swims 3-4 days and close to 6 miles per week. So far, he has had a very successful swim season receiving personal best times in the majority of his events. Next weekend he will be attending his first 2011 swimmeet at Auburn University in Alabama.

I will close for now, so I hope that this finds you well and thank you for checking in with us. Blessings to you.

HI ALL -- It's been quite awhile since I've had the time (& energy) to sit down and update our blog -- summer has flown by!! Jared was busy with swim practice 3 days aweek and Shae Rose had the opportunity to attend her first official swim lessons. She will be going again in October. She swims very well in our pool with her floaty jacket and loves to get out as much as possible. We have also had out-of-town relatives come to stay to visit and meet Shae Rose. So far that would include Namma and Bumpa over the 4th of July and Auntie Min and Auntie San at the end of July. We are still expecting Auntie Dawn this weekend, Mady next week, Uncle Mike and Madi over Labor Day weekend, and Grandma Bonnie in October. Thus far, Shae Rose has warmed up to her new extended family almost immediately (and she loves to talk on the phone with them as well).

The first two pictures that are attached are from the Dothan, AL swimmeet; we are at Long Horn Restaurant. That was Shae's first swimmeet that she attended -- she did great and always cheered Jared on. Jared earned 3 ribbons that weekend. The third picture is Shae Rose at one of her swim lessons at the YMCA. Finally, the fourth picture is Jared and Shae Rose at Monkey Joe's; an end of the summer outing.

Jared just celebrated his 10th birthday this last week and Shae Rose is looking forward to her 4th birthday three weeks from now. Jared also has just finished his first week of school; he is now in the 5th grade. While Jared is at school, Shae Rose and I will be working on writing her alphabet and numbers and will learn to write her name. We will also be doing crafts, as that is one of her favorite things to do. Jared will be starting his 3rd swim season and Shae Rose will be starting "SHOUT" (children's choir) at our church next week. As for me, my children keep me pretty busy, and it's the hardest and best job in the world.

Until next time..........take care all!!

In Progress: Our "New Normal"

Hi everyone!! Sorry it has been so long for an update, but our family is working diligently on our "new normal." Everyone is doing much better since our return home from China. Jeffrey is back into the swing of things at the hospital and with CAC. Jared is at swim practice 3 mornings per week and still loves to be on the team. This weekend he is at his first summer meet and it is at Auburn University (long course, olympic-size pool). What an awesome facility! He hasn't been to a meet since the end of March, and he really gave it his all. I took him yesterday and Jeffrey is taking him today. It is a great way to have one-on-one time with him. Shae will be going to her first swim meet in 2 weeks in Dothan, AL. We will be spending 2 nights there and on Saturday night we all get to go to a waterpark for free. It was a blast last year. Shae no longer cries at bath-time or at bed-time. This last week she even said that I could leave her bedroom, instead of laying on the floor with Roxy until she fell asleep. It has been 4 nights in a row now that we read books, say our prayers, and kiss good-night -- and out the bedroom I go... No crying and no calling out for me...BUT, she still wants Roxy to lay in there. :) I leave her door open about 4 in., and last night Roxy opened the door about another 8 in. and let herself out after Shae fell asleep. She's the best dog ever!! Shae's other milestone this week was swimming in the pool with her Speedo jacket all by herself. Boy, was she excited!! She squealed and exclaimed the whole way!! We all were so proud of her, and she was proud of herself, too. She will be ready for the YMCA at the end of July for her swim lessons. She already has the concept of using her arms and legs at the same time. Shae will also ride on my back to the deep end, while I breast stroke. Of course, she also loves to swim all around with Jared; bouncing up and down. I am keeping extremely busy with both children (I have the best job in the world), and the summer is flying by so fast -- as usual.

Pictures:

#1 Father's Day and our first day back to church. Shae did great at the service. She sat in the balcony with Jeffrey and I. She loved the music and orchestrated with her hands right along with Bro. Tim, everytime the pastor said "Jesus" she would look at me and say "Jesus," and she asked where Jared was about 4 or 5 times (he was at WynnKids). Of course we went to I-Hop afterwards for Jeff's Day.

#2 Jared and Shae love music and love to dance together in the livingroom. But much to Jared's dismay, Shae LOVES to sing, too. :) All the time..., especially "Happy Birthday" -- in English AND Chinese. :)

#3 "A day at the pool."

#4 Shae's favorite toy are her Legos. She especially likes to play with them when Jared is playing with his. She told me that she wants "small" Legos for her birthday, "like Jared's."

#5 Just had to capture this moment, as Jared and Shae are watching a movie together.

That's all for today. Thank you ALL for your prayers and well wishes. We feel them all the time, and are grateful for each and every one!!!

First Week Home

We made it through the first week. It has been great to be back in "normal" surroundings and sleep in our own bed. This past week has been trying, but also rewarding. Shae still is having a hard time at night, but went to sleep last night without crying and slept through the night for the last two nights. (We hope this becomes the norm.) The two things that Shae was most excited about (pool and Roxy), she was the most afraid of. She has already conquered those fears this week, as she has been in the pool and has warmed up to Roxy quite a bit. The first picture is of Shae in our swimming pool for the first time. The second picture is of Jared reading "Llama, Llama Red Pajamma" to Shae (her favorite book) at bed time. The third picture is of Jared and Shae goofing around one evening. The fourth picture is of Jared and Shae playing with bubbles out by the pool with Karen one morning last week. The final picture is of Karen pushing Shae in a toy car in the backyard. We have seen drastic improvements during the day time, as Shae seems very comfortable in her surroundings. Her strong personality and sense of humor is coming out. Yesterday, both Jared and Shae were hanging on Karen in the pool and Shae leaned over and gave Jared a kiss. That seemed to make Jared feel good; he gave her a kiss on the forehead right back. We are slowly getting back into a routine, and this is good as Jared starts swim practice at 8:00am tomorrow morning!! Shae is a slow-riser, so this might be a challenge. :)

Finally Home!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, we made it!!! After 8000+ miles, 31 hours, 3 plane rides, a couple of short delays, a 40 minute wait on the taxi way in Atlanta, and a 1.5 hour drive to our house -- we are home!!! The day was so long, but we made it through. It was Karen's birthday and I think it wasn't the most enjoyable, but one she won't ever forget. When we arrived home, we were greeted with a "welcome home" banner on our garage door into the house (see picture). There were about 50 ballons in the hallway and other Welcome Home signs throughout the house. Also, there were homemade cupcakes and a bouquet of white flowers (all compliments of our wonderful neighbors and friends -- The Childs and Gilberts). Thank you all!! :) Both Jared and Shae were excited to see the balloons and started playing with them -- it was 1:30 am. There were presents for Shae and Jared, along with a birthday present for Karen. Jared showed Shae around the house and explained what everything was; it was so cute. He was so excited to be home!!

We want to thank our neighbors/friends for watching our house/pool and picking up our mail while we were gone, along with the wonderful welcome. We also want to thank the swim team families that are bringing us meals for the next couple of days. And lastly, I want to thank my dad for posting our blog while we were in China. Finally, please continue to pray for us as Shae is still having a hard time at night (crying 2-3 hours straight). And please pray for Jared as he is having difficulty adjusting to not being the only. We love you all!!!

P.S. The picture of Shae is after we got through immigration in Newark, NJ -- at that time she was officially a U.S. citizen. :)

: U.S. Consulate

After breakfast Shae Rose had her picture taken on the infamous White Swan "Red Couch," along with the other 2 babies in our group and with the family. Once again, Jared and John became the celebrities -- before we knew it, there was a crowd of Chinese people to my left snapping away as Jared and John sat on the couch with Shae Rose, Emma, and Anita. Apparently, the boys looked fascinating. Jeffrey and I went for a second foot massage; I used my birthday as an excuse to be pampered one more time. After that we took the bus to the U.S. Consulate, where we signed yet another piece of paper and then took the group oath with our right hand raised (Jared, too). When Shae Rose steps off the plane in Newark, NJ on Friday, 5/21st, she will officially be a U.S. citizen. On the way back to the hotel our facilitator sang China's national anthem and then everyone else sang the USA national anthem. We all clapped, and Shae got a kick out of that. Once again we went back to Lucy’s for dinner, but this time to celebrate my birthday (because tomorrow evening we will be packing). Here is God at work: A woman from New Hampshire approached me half way through dinner as I was taking Shae to go "pee pee." She stopped me to tell me that she had been praying for Shae for over a year -- that she would get a family soon. She knew she came from Starfish and that her name was Rose. This same woman is in Guangzhou adopting her own Chinese child and she spotted Shae back on Sunday or Monday at the White Swan and recognized her from the Starfish website or blog. She was so happy to see Shae with a family. Coincidence? No, God-incidence. After dinner, we came back to our room to find a room service table with a birthday cake and a single red rose on it. We had birthday cake with our group and then said our "good-byes" to John and his family. Jared was/is very sad to say good-bye to his new friend. It feels like we have known them forever. Luckily they live in a neighboring state and we hope to see them again in the future. John and Jared are talking about skyping down the road. We pray that they will have a safe flight home back to Tennessee. Well, one more full day left in China and then the long trek home to Georgia. Bye for now.

Just Another Day in Guangzhou (today written by Karen)

Today we had a "free day," as our facilitator had to go to the US Consulate to finalize our paperwork. We got our "okay" at 11:32 am. Tomorrow we, as a family, will be going to the US Consulate to take the group oath. The rest of our day we did our final souvenir shopping, played in the Swan Room (playroom at the hotel), spent time in the hotel room (playing with Play Doh and DS), and ate dinner at the Thai restaurant again. I have to say we have had excellent meals in China, with the exception of one dinner and one lunch in 2 weeks (that's pretty good odds). Angie and I did some extra shopping before dinner (Jeff did not offer any money this time so I only came back with a free Chinese fan because I brought Angie to a store that I was in earlier today) and then we stopped at Starbucks for a coffee (that was a real treat and relaxing and good girl-time). The weather continues to be hot and humid, with a nice breeze. I like it. Jeff and Jared are sweating a lot. I am wondering if the summer heat has kicked in at home...... I guess that is all for now -- Shae Rose is sleeping, Jared is back on the DS, and Jeff is waiting for me to finish. Love you all and thanks for all the prayers (they are definitely felt). P.S. The pictures of Jared and Shae Rose by the window are at the breakfast buffet this morning. In one she is giving Jared a kiss. Awesome!!