Finally got the real camera charged

The real camera? Well, that's what I call the big one. :) The other camera, the little one,  is this point and shoot, waterproof thing. Rich and Jack made me take the little one to China. Rich was afraid the big one would get broken, and well, Jack didn't want to have to carry the big one.

So, home from China for three weeks now and have been on a big camera charger hunt for two. Found it! Charged it! And.... the blasted lens is giving me issues. ACK! It's already done this once and we had to send it off - for what seemed like forever - and now it's doing it again! Double ACK! It just won't focus sometimes. And, well, it's VERY annoying. Especially when a mama has a precious new daughter who needs her picture taken..... and blown up..... ridiculously huge.


Here are a few shots that seemed to be in focus ... or almost... 

Will wanted to know why I kept "doing that" to her hair. :) He says she looks like a brussel sprout!

I'd love suggestions anyone might have on a great REASONABLY priced place to have adoption announcements done. I'm having sticker shock!

One Month

I met my precious Ellie 4 weeks ago tonight. (Because tonight is already tomorrow in China.)


She was a quiet, scared little girl when I met her.

But, my prayer was answered. She let me hold her and comfort her even though she was sad and afraid.

Every day she loosens up a bit more.  She's getting used to this house full of crazies.

 And...

 she likes it! :)

 (....yes. That is half of a globe and a cross bow. What can I say? I have boys.)

Miss Ellie still has quite a ways to go, but she's making strides every day.

I am still pinching myself. She is absolutely, positively a dream come true.

A HUGE, HUGE THANK YOU to all who supported our journey to Ellie. We are so grateful!!

LOVE THIS VIDEO!!!

Are you a goer or a sender?

The orphan problem is everybody's problem. Whether you choose to believe it's your problem is simply a decision you make. And that decision doesn't change the fact that it is indeed your problem. It is everyone's problem.

If a starving orphan knocked on the door of your comfortable, warm house, what would you do? Would you turn your back and close the door?

Well, I'm here to tell you that there are millions of children in need RIGHT NOW. They are starving. They don't have safe water. They need medical care.        They need parents. They need someone to stand up for them. Someone to defend them.

If you are thinking there is just no way you can adopt, well then, I have many other options for you. :) YOU can make a difference and save a child without adopting. Sponsor a child. Feed a child. Pay for a child to have life saving surgery. Help a community build a well so they can have safe drinking water. Support someone else's adoption.  YES!!! SUPPORT SOMEONE ELSE'S ADOPTION.  And I mean, REALLY support someone else's adoption. Organize a fundraiser for them. Help them with a fundraiser they are having by working it like it was your own. Search your heart on how hard it would be to come up with nearly $30,000 ( and yes, Ellie's adoption was very close to that despite my very best efforts to keep all the costs down ) and FEEL that family's struggle to bring their child home.

Ellie's adoption took saving at a crazy level for our family, gifts from friends, multiple fundraisers, grants, and a loan to get that baby home. And you know what? She is so worth every bit of it! And you know what else? Every other child that is waiting for a family is worth it too.

There are families willing to bring these children home, but financial obstacles stand in the way. I remember my Sunday school teacher from when I was a teenager saying God has "goers and senders". If you can't be a goer, maybe God is calling you to be a sender. If you can't adopt, can't go to Africa and build a well, can't hand out food to orphans, then maybe God's role for you is to send someone who can. There are lots of people and programs in place to help children out of hopelessness. But they need support. I tell ya, I am so, so grateful for all the senders that helped us bring Ellie home.

What are you?? A goer? A sender? Or both?? I dare you to search your heart and ask God to reveal it to you. And you know what? YOU will be blessed for it!!!!

I am going to work on putting together a list of wonderful people and programs that would benefit from some "senders". So, stay tuned. :) But for right now, here are just a  couple to get you going!!

http://milesoftheheart.blogspot.com/

http://feedingtheorphans.blogspot.com

 http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

 http://www.bringingsophiahome.blogspot.com/ 

 http://www.heleadsus.blogspot.com/

 http://www.beebebits.blogspot.com/

Homemade Icecream

Yep. Chocolate.

She seriously liked it.

ALL OVER!

We moved into cleanup mode. She has come a l.o.n.g. way on the bath thing. She loves them now. I developed the foster family photos, and there's one of her taking a bath there. In a bowl. Like one you would have in your kitchen for washing vegetables. It was tiny. She must have thought a regular bath tub looked like an ocean.

Hard to get a photo of her out of the tub, as I'm always holding her. We used the mirror to our advantage.

I saved the onesie. I know you were worried. :)

 Those are size 12 month jammies. The pants will not stay up. The child has no butt.

A 15 second interval playing in her bed. Seriously, barely long enough for me to take the photo. But she looks just darling in there, doesn't she?

Our little angel is doing really well. She's saying lots of things in English. MaMU (her favorite!), Daddy, Will, Thomas, Sasa, Jack, Maggie, kitty, meow, open, bubbles, all done, yum-yums, coke, ... and, she's still saying LONG sentences in Chinese. She is absolutely, positively precious in every way. :)

Another precious little girl waits to come home

 

 Just look at this precious little sweetie!!! Her name is Sophia. Wouldn't you love to be part of this angel's homecoming? 

This precious child is waiting for her mama, who is a very special friend of mine, to come and get her. She is expecting her TA for this angel ANY DAY and is still about $5000 short on travel funds. Friends, I know from experience, that knowing your TA is imminent, and being thousands short on travel funds is terrifying. When you think about the total spent on an adoption, the last $5000 really isn't that much of it. But, when you don't have it, and you're TA is coming, it's EVERYTHING!

Mandie, Sofia's mama, is making it EASY to be part of Sophia's homecoming.  She is having an awesome giveaway where you can sponsor a puzzle piece and get a chance to win some great prizes. The grand prize is a totally rockin netbook!! I so want one of these, and I bet you do too!!! They are small enough to ft in a decent size purse, and let you blog, email, and yahoo group where ever you are!!! Here's the link where you can enter.  

http://bringingsophiahome.blogspot.com/2010/10/netbook-giveaway-and-more.html

So, come on!! Click on over there, and get yourself a puzzle piece!! Who knows, you might just be typing on your new netbook next week!! The drawing is on November 8!!

We are home

We are home. :) And boy does it feel good. We've been sleeping at odd hours trying to get our clocks turned around. I'm hoping for a somewhat normal day today.

The trip home was l.o.n.g. Ellie did as well as could be expected on that long flight. She slept 3 different times. She accompanied me to the bathroom when I went. (Remember, she can't let me out of her sight.) Thank goodness, the bathroom was a little larger than the one we had on the plane on the way to China. We read books, played stickers, had snacks, and I narrated the entire 101 Dalmatians movie - I'm sure our neighbors loved that - to try to keep her entertained. She simply loved Pongo and would shout out his name when she saw him. She still had her moments. But, frankly, I would have like to have a  few moments on that flight too. It's just awful being cooped up in that tiny area breathing that dry air for so long. The flight had quite a bit of turbulence too. Not fun.

I did get to watch the Blind Side while she slept one time. I sobbed. I highly recommend the movie to anyone who hasn't seen it.

Ellie is doing really, really well. She is enjoying the crazy Little house, and is getting more and more comfortable. She has even ventured into rooms WITHOUT me for a few minutes! YAY!!! She is still pretty much glued to me, but I can tell it's getting a little better. She's still waking up crying - I think this is still foster family grieving -  but she's not screaming out their names anymore.

She is doing really well with the other kids, and is warming up to Rich too. She's even offered him cheerios and juice.

She is an absolute precious angel!!!! And I feel blessed beyond measure!!

Here are a few photos from China that I never got a chance to post. :)

She wasn't sure what to make of the little kid statues. 

Red couch at the White Swan

Happy tub photo in GZ!! And I'm not even in there with her!! YAY!!