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.