HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I'll post more later becuase at the moment Jaili is feeding her lunch to Mila and not eating it. Of course as soon as I start doing this. Anywho, here are a few pictures of our trip to the pumpkin patch and the little ballerina kitty.

Beach photo's

Our latest beach trip. We were being pelted with sand because it was so windy. We had lots of fun despite that fact though. Anywho, here's the beach beauty

Just a few pics of our pesky pants!

Here are a few pics of our cutie pie. She is growing like a weed (although still super tiny by average standards) She is 29" tall and weighs almost 20 lbs. She is just a tiny little fire ball though. Jaili has started talking up a storm. Lots of I love you's which is super awesome. Shane and I absolutely love being parents to our beautiful girl. I'm going to keep it short for now (becuase someone wants to join me in typing) Hope everyone is doing well. Enjoy the photo's.

O.k last few photos I promise

I realize I did this backwards. The post was supposed to be first. Then Photo's #1, then this post. Anywho, you get the idea. Hope you like the pictures of our goofball.

Few more pictures of our cutie

Our baby is turning into a little girl!

So yeah, yeah I know it took me FOREVER to update the blog. Unfortunately it hasn't been a priority.... but I am FINALLY doing it. Baby girl is sleeping so it's the perfect time.

What can I say about our little miracle only that she is got to be the most awesome baby in the world!! ( O.k. so I am a bit biased) It is hard to come up with the words that adequatley display the level of love, joy, excitement and amazement that we feel for our tiny beauty. We forget that we adopted her and she didn't come from us. I almost get offended when people ask if she's adopted or ask where we adopted her from. My first thought at times is " why would you think she's adopted?" Then I remember, Oh yeah she doesn't look like us. Shane and I have lost that fact though. When we see her I think she looks just like us. She has so many of our personality traits. She is ours through and through. She is becoming more and more beautiful everyday. Her personality and love of life shines through her eyes... they are so bright and happy. She is a constant source of entertainment. She is talking up a storm. We can understand some of what she says.. mostly just lots of babble, looks of irritation when we don't understand and lots of attitude ( mostly good). She will walk around the house sort of singing the word happy over and over. She has the tiniest little voice. She is growing great also, still on the small side but what do you expect she 's cantonese. Her attachment has been fanastic! Very attached to both Shane and I. She is a constant source of motion (like her Dad). Never sitting still for very long. She says clearly about 20 words now ( when I say clearly I mean that Shane and I can understand her) As for words other people can understand that's about 10. She has about 10 signs down also. She learns so fast. We show her about 3-4 times and she has it. She is crazy quick and smart when figuring things out. She loves to take things apart and figure out how they work (also like her Dad). She's also quite girly..loves make-up, shoes and purses. Everytime I put lip gloss on now she looks at me and goes "OOOOO" in this little high voice to let me know that she would like to put on lip gloss also. It starts so early. Her favorite toys are cars, balls and stuffed dogs. She also LOVES books. We read "Hop on Pop" Dr. Suess everyday. She will go get her book, hand it to us and go "Pop Pop". I think I may have the majority of the book memorized by this point.

When I look at Jaili and realize how blessed Shane and I are it just confirms everything I know about the love that Jesus has for us. Jaili is our reminder of that everyday. God is the only explaination for such an amazing bond that we have with our sweet baby girl. She was formed by him for us to love and guide through life and for that I am so thankful. Everyday I'm amazed that he chose us to be her parents... It is just so hard to believe.I feel I am one of the wealthiest people in the world to be blessed with such a wonderful family. It also confirms that bonds are not made in the womb... they are made by God before we were even born. He is the creator of us all.

Here are some new pictures of our JJ! Isn't she the greatest!!!! I'll post more when the mood strikes. Take care everyone...Oh and could someone post a comment so I know people are still reading this. If not many are I won't worry about posting very often. Hope everyone is fantastic!

Love to you all

Angel, Shane and Jaili

She's MOBILE!!!

We were trying to get a new family photo but the sun was so bright our eyes were burning, Check out our little diva, Jaili girl and baba havin some fun on the swing, picking some flowers in the yard.

Jaili girl is up and cruising around everywhere. She started walking on her own about 2 weeks ago and is just about running now. It is adorable. She is so stinkin cute. She has become this incredibly big flirt also (which scares me and her dad immensly....yipes stripes... very cute now but at 13 I REALLY don't want to deal with that.) Life has been thankfully very routine around here. Jaili and I are home together most of the time and Shane is loving his job. It 's been really fantastic being able to only work my 16 hours a week. I love spending the day with Jaili girl. She is just a kick in the pants. That kid makes Shane and me laugh all the time, she has the most amazing personality. She is just our little miracle. It is creepy how much like Shane and me she is. I believe she also gets more and more beautiful everyday. She has been having some "fun" testing us lately. We've instituted time outs now....I think she is starting to get it, at least I hope. Friday she was especially feisty, I guess throwing cat food across the dining room is great fun for a 1 year old (not great fun for mom). I'm assuming that she will probably be a feisty and active one for many years to come yet, but then again look at Shane and I. Would you expect any other kind of kid for us? I can't complain she may be active but she is a very good girl 95% of the time.

Easter went well. She discovered that treats were inside the eggs so of course every single one of them had to be opened. She also made $13 from the egg hunt. That's my girl (momma only made $2). She also got some great treats from the easter bunny and the grandma/nana easter bunnies. She slept through the entire church service so Shane and I both got to listen for a change.

One of the new things she has started doing is mimicking alot of things that Shane and I do. With me she has started combing her hair in the mirror when I do my hair and she also has to carry her purse around the house with kittie and lovey in it. Oh and to Momma's happiness, my girl loves SHOES!!! YEA! I have a shopping bud which doesn't thrill Shane. He keeps trying to tell her that shopping is evil. I tell her to close her ears baba doesn't know what he is saying.

She is still a total daddy's girl though. With Shane she makes the funniest faces trying to copy baba and he has also taught her some interesting noises. It is so cute just to see the 2 of them playing together. Shane's eyes are just filled with amazement and joy everytime he looks at her. She is going to have him completely wrapped around her finger (as if she doesn't already). Our little one does not suffer from a lack of attention or love anymore. I'm sure she just wants to tell me to stop mauling her all the time. I just can't help myself, she is so stinkin loveable I just have kiss on her cheeks, lips, face, hands etc everytime I hold her. I just want to eat her up.

She has a some stomach issues lately though that have me alittle concerned. She is one of the gassiest kids and the poor little one gets such pain at night. She only sleeps the entire night through maybe 2 times a week. We have her on acidopholus and I'm looking into some natural remedies for giardia. She has all of the symptoms for giardia so my dad is going to work up a program for her. I've asked the Dr. several times and he doesn't seem to think there is a problem and won't test her for giardia or other stomach parasites. Mom's instinct though tells me that there is something else going on. She is very sensitive to foods but I think it is more than that. Other than that she has been as healthy as a horse. No colds, flu's or anything. She had a pretty good fever about a week or so and Shane stayed home with her (of course she was sick on the on day that I work all day) but it was just because of her teething. She does have 7 teeth now and is trying to get yet another in.

Oh on another note, there is an adoptive family that received their daughter about 2 months before we got Jaili and they need lots of prayers and anything else people can provide. Their daughter has just had a heart transplant and their insurance is not going to cover her meds which are in the thousands of dollars every month. Their website is http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site/home?ID=48107 if you would check it out. They have a paypal account someone has set up for them for donations. If everyone could pray for this family that would be wonderful. I 've never met them just followed their journey online. Their daughter is alittle miracle and they will continue to be in our prayers.

Hope all is well with everyone. Take care and I'll write more later.

Angel

What a Cutie!!!

Here are the newest pictures of our pumpkin.

What can I say about our beautiful daughter except that she has stolen our hearts. Everyday she continues to amaze us. She is talking and babbling like crazy. Her vocabulary is increasing every week, the latest are kitty ( which is everything furry), Hi, cup and no no no. Although she's not quite understanding the meaning of no no she does think it is pretty fun to say especially to Dad. Oh she is also signing pirate (for pirate booty) and the word more. Her voice is just adorable also, it's this little tiny high voice that is amplified about 10 times whenever Baba is near. She is such a Daddy's girl. She is also a Momma's girl and tends to come to me for the "mom" stuff (comforting, food, snuggling, etc). Jaili girl is so much fun and is growing like a little weed. She is up to 18 lbs now and is almost walking. She's has taken 4 steps so far on her own and is learning that if she slows down she can take a few more. This weekend we were in Bend with her Auntie Meg, Uncle Paul, Cousins Anya and Seth and she watched Seth pretty closely with his walking (Seth is only a month older than Jaili). Her walking has improved alot just after this weekend. We guess that she should be running by the end of next month. I am loving being at home with her now. I changed my work scheduled so I can be at home with her most of the time. Mondays are the only days that she needs to be watched and she stays with her Auntie Allison and cousins Logan and Tay and my brother Adam (Uncle Buck) then and has a great time. She is such a joy to be around. She is happy and laughing most everyday. We are having a few issues sleeping right now and wants to sleep right between Shane and I at night. We arn't sure if it is teething or something else. She has gotten in 2 more teeth. 3 on top and 3 on bottom now. Adjustment has gone very well and the attachment started getting so much better after I changed my schedule. I can't imagine our lives without her. She is our little miracle and we are beyond blessed with our sweetheart. Shane and I are talking about starting the process for a sibling for her next year but we will see what God has in store for us. Hope all is well with everyone and I will update next month.

God is Good!!!

Letting Jaili out of her kennel and the family at the Alamo

O.k. first Jaili was just checking out Mila's kennel. She doesn't really stay in the kennel (only at bedtime)HA HA just kidding anywho, it has taken me a bit to update (I don't want to spend time on the computer when our pesky pants is up and about) but we have had a wonderful past few weeks! Jaili is adjusting miraculously! She is bonding fantastic with both Shane and me. She is one funny goofy kid who loves to be the center of attention. For those of you who don't know Jaili was considered a waiting child when we received her referral. Her special need was that she tested positive for Hepatitis B. She was considered acute in July at the time of her referral. After doing research and praying we knew that Jaili was our daughter and the Hep B didn't matter to us. It would be manageable. During the research we found that their was a possibility that the Hep B could get worse and as she got older their would be a small chance of her needing a liver transplant. We planned on boosting her immune system with natural medicine and organic foods. We also learned that their was a 10% chance that her body could convert the Hep B and she would build a natural immunity to it and not have the Hep B at all. We had everyone praying for her but did not put this last scenario in our thoughts at all. Well 2 weeks ago we went to the Hep B and international adoption specialist at OHSU and after reviewing Jaili's current blood work and examing her we found out that she is our true miracle. Jaili is completely free of the Hep B. She is in the small percentage that was able to convert the disease. Our specialist said that Jaili is the first baby adopted from China with Hep B that she has personally ever seen that has converted. Shane and I are so very blessed. We know that we have a very rare adoption story and that things usually don't go as smoothly as this. God is so glorious and Jaili is such an enormous blessing in every way. We are planning on doing a waiting child adoption with all of our kids and already do not expect to have the same amazing results that we have had with Jaili. God knows the plan for us and we are so thrilled that he has healed our beautiful girl.
On another note we just back from San Antonio, Texas where we visited Jaili's auntie Shannon. She did so well! We were a little worried about the travel but she just rolls along with everything and was her usual pesky silly self. We went and saw the Alamo and had a wonderful time. Thank you so much everyone for all of your prayers!If anyone would like any info on Holt, special needs adoption, Hep B or whatever please email me. Shane and I are in complete awe of the beautiful children that God has made and there are so many that need wonderful families. Shane and I are so blessed that the Lord has led our lives to "special needs" adoption and just adoption in general. It is such a special journey and we are amazed everyday that we have been chosen to have our children this way. Hope everyone is well and love to you all.

A few pictures of our beauty queen!

blogger wouldn't let me post these with my previous entry so here is our little love!

Our spirited one!!

Jaili has had an amazing week. She has come along way from the baby we received 1 month ago in China. Everyday she shares something new with us. This week has had a few firsts which has been lots of fun. She snuggled with me for the first time last night. She started crying at around 3 or 4 so I picked her up and put her in bed with Shane and I. Her usual routine is to fight and roll away from us as I try to keep her close and no one usually gets much sleep although she does stop crying. Well this morning I picked her up layed her on my chest and she snuggled right into me and fell asleep. Even when she rolled to her side she still wanted me close beside her. What a fantastic feeling! Then when it was time to wake up first she cried then she gently reached up and started patting my face. I rolled her over to Shane and she looked at him and said BaBa several times until he looked at her and she gave him the biggest smile. She has grown leaps and bounds over the past week even. I know that she still has a long way to go and we may have some setbacks as I go back to work, but we are making definate progress. She is attaching to me more and more everyday and has kept up the attachment to Shane. We had our first post placement visit which went great and our wonderful social worker Kathie made me feel good to let me know that often times the little one has to attach to one parent first, but that Jaili seemed to be doing very well. I'm thinking that Shane and I are just about on equal ground with her now. She had her doctor visit yesterday and the poor girl not only had to have 4 immunizations but had to have her blood work drawn as well. She was NOT a happy camper. She is just a trooper though and was back to being her feisty self by bedtime. We will most likely hear about her blood work in a few days. We keep praying for her health. It is God's hands and I wouldn't want it anywhere else. I look at her and think she is just a miracle. How did Shane and I become so blessed? Each day we see a new light in her eyes and she is responding to us on a more intimate level now. I think she knows that she is home and we are never letting her go (at least I hope she knows this). Oh another first.. she saw her first snowfall today and she thought that it was pretty cool. She sat in the front window and laughed and played. It was the cutest thing. Of course I have pictures of it, I just haven't downloaded any yet. I hope all that are reading this feel the amount of love and blessings that God has brought to our lives. I have never birthed a child, so I cannot compare it with adoption. Adoption, especially on an international/racial level and adopting a child older than a newborn, is a totally different experience that you cannot explain adequately ( you just have to experience it for yourself). To me it is a perfect example of God's love for us all. Though there are difficulty's along the way I know that when we look into our daughter's eyes that she was ours from the moment the Lord knew her. Everytime we hold our beautiful sweet girl it just confirms God's plan and our plan for our lives. That we are not have our children biologically but from another women's womb and I would never want it any other way. It doesn't matter where our children come from they are all God's children and he has just chosen us to love them and guide them through life. Adoption is a miracle in itself and Jaili is just proof of that. Love to all and take care.

We are Home!

O.k. it has taken a bit to get into our routine but we are home and adjusted. Jaili had her 1st birthday party on the 30th. She wasn't sure about the cake at first but was lovin' it by the time we got her out of her high chair. The adjustment has been going pretty well. She definately bonded to Shane faster than to me but I expected that. We had a backslide once we got home. We had Shane's mom staying with us (thank goodness) to help us out. She was awesome but I think Jaili got confused about who was Momma and the one taking care of her. We went to me being the only one giving her bottles and just Shane and I holding her and she has swung back my way again. We tend to have boughts of her wanting to push me away, hitting in the face, etc. Each day is better than the previous and today I got a smile and laugh from her when I walked into the room and asked if she wanted Momma. It has been a great day today. It's amazing what a full night's rest for mom, dad and baby will do. She is getting over an ear infection and I think she is finally beginning to feel the best she has felt in a long time. The doctor here said that she has had the infection for a long time. We have another appointment next week and we will get all of her blood work checked out. She is one funny kid! Shane and I keep wondering where the days go. We know that we've done things but the time goes so quickly. She is just a joy to sit and watch play, sleep, whatever. We just love this little one so much. I don't know what we did in our lives before we had her. Anywho, I'll update more next week. Take Care everyone.