February 21st

One year ago we saw our baby's face for the first time.

 

 

                                          One Year Later

Breckenridge, Colorado

August 2012 we went on a small vacation to Breckenridge, Colorado.  We also went on day trips to Frisco and Leadville.  We shopped, hiked and ate well.

Happy 1st Birthday!!

We celebrated our beautiful Baby Girls 1st Birthday the weekend following her Birthday due to some deadlines that needed to be met after returning to work.  We had a small celebration at home with just immediate family. 

 

 

Birthday Cakes and Candies

 

                                                                    Birthday Cake

                                                                   Birthday Girl's Cake



                          Birthday Girl's Attire

                                                               Birthday Presents

                                                            Birthday Party Guests

 

Minnie Ears

 

                                          
                                                                  Beautiful Birthday Girl

We tried all day to take a picture of the Birthday Girls behind and this is the best shot we got!  Anyways the bloomers match the Birthday attire.

                                                    Happy 1st Birthday Baby Girl!!!

July 4th 2012

              Firecracker, Firecracker, Boom! Boom! Boom!

Nanchang, Jiangxi Providence China

We arrived at Nanchang around lunch time.  We were told that we would get to Nanchang and would be able to go to our hotel and get settled in before meeting our baby girl.  I knew better, I packed a carry on bag especially for our baby girl and dressed for the occassion. And I was right, once we got on the bus we were told there was a change of plans and that there were 80 people scheduled to get their babies the same day at the same time, so our guide was told that no one was there at that time and that it was ok for us to go there immediately to get our little ones.  So that is what we did.  We were so excited we couldn't quit smiling and proud Daddy was snapping pictures right and left to get it all.   On the way there he took the picture of the very fascinating window cleaner (I hope he gets paid well, with no restraints and all....). The building was a white building and we had to go up several floors and down a long hall.  We immediately met the orphange director.  We were the 1st ones in and I could see the nannies holding the babies. I was so excited, I had tears in my eyes.  We were then lead to the room where our babies were at.  We were called 1st and I took our precious little one and held her and talked to her for awhile before her Daddy took her from me.  There was so much paperwork to sign and learn about that it was chaotic.  We were trying to get to know our little one and complete a mound of really important paperwork at the same time. Somehow we mananged.  We got alot of the stuff back that was sent in the care package. So our baby girl had her own backpack of toys.  I also manage to get autographs of the care takers and the Director of the Orphanage.  We also got the Director's business card to stay in touch.  While there we had our 1st family photo taken.  My husband and I were smiling from ear to ear, and our baby girl is not doing so.  I am sure she was wondering what was going on, and who are these grinning people.  Once we left the building we had to walk accross a extremly busy street.  We had just became parents and then we had to walk accross the street with our baby in hand, very crazy.  It was like carrying a very rare precious diamond accross a tight line rope.  Each night my husband would set near the window with our little one and talk to her about her providence.  All the sounds, smells, and bright lights, they would talk about it all.  So cute!  Each morning at 5:30AM we were woke up to the sound of firecrackers outside our window.  Our little one slept through that noise, luckily!

Stinkin Cute!

I am calling this picture stinkin cute, because you can see the diaper pail in the background!

She is pulling up to crawl now, she will get on all fours and rock.  I have been working with her on how to move her hand in coordination with her knees.  She is very close to getting it!  Then I am in trouble!  We have came a long way in the short time that we have been home.  She wouldn't even lay on her belly for less than a minute without making a fuss about it. And now she loves to play on the floor for hours at a time. It is wonderful to see my baby learn all these new things! She is so stinkin cute!

Beijing

While in Beijing, China we had a tour guide named Sherry, whom I adored.  She was so bubbly and so much fun.  She took us the Tienamen Square and the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace.  It is forbidden to tell why it is forbidden.

She took us to Dr. Tea, which we attended a tea ceremony and bought some tea.  In China they do not like Dr. Pepper, because it tastes like cough syrup to them.  So they have the Dr. Tea.  Also China serves Poke, which to me taste like Pepsi and Coke mixed together. 

She also took us to the Jade Factory, the Pearl Factory , and the Silk Factory while in Beijing.

In Beijing we attended a Chinese Acrobat show and it was so funny because it was at 8PM and we were all still suffering from jet lag so bad, that everyone in our group that attended fell asleep during the show.  Everyone sitting in the complete row was asleep. 

Also we learned about the bathrooms in China, they are rated and trust me you do not want to go to bathrooms that are rated less than 4 and a half stars.  Because they might not have a toliet, paper or water. 

We attended Easter Sunday church there which was great!
 
The meals were well, lets put it this way, I lost 8 pounds while in China.  When attending a restuarant for meals, you did not order your food, the waiter and waitresses would bring to you whatever they had for you and it was family style.  There were a few things that were ok to eat. 

All the elevators in the hotels required you room key to get from floor to floor.  The morning that we were leaving Beijing to go to Nanchang to meet our baby girl, we locked our key in our room and I believe we were on the 14th Floor.  We had to meet everyone in the hotel lobby at 5:30AM, so we had to take the stairs while carrying our carry on luggage .  We find the stairs and then locked ourselves into empty room which leads to the door to the to the stairs.  By this time it is 5:25AM.  We pulled and pushed on the door and could not get it open and the door that we came in didn't have a handle to get back out.  I think Don and I both had visions of missing our flight to get our baby girl and being stuck in the room until someone finally found us days later, so with that Don was so mad he kicked the door in and it flung open to the stairs.  By the time we made it down to the lobby we both needed showers again, because they were not in air condition.  But we made it and was able to get on the flight to our baby girl.