Birthday Slide Show

Busy Weekend

Jaiden's passport arrived just in time Friday morning for them to get to the airport and make their flight home. I picked them up at 6:30 Sat morning and we have been in a non stop whirlwind ever since.

Jaiden got a little upset tummy on the plane right before landing, so Daddy had a mess to clean up on the plane in the dark - just glad there wasn't anyone sitting next to him. Jaiden had her own seat going and coming home!

In addition to being smelly, she was in a bit of a trance when they rolled out. She had little tremors like she was cold and I think she was in a bit of shock to finally be home. After we got her home and fed, bathed and a little nap she was back to her usual perkiness.

The sun was trying to shine when we got home so Cody was finally able to mow the grass and then we had our followup homestudy visit (2 hours of more questions and paperwork)
then a run to the commissary to pick up a cake since I wasn't sure if Jaiden would be coming home or not so I didn't actually order a cake...we found a really cute one already made! Then we had to get the house clean and straightened...so by the time we finally went to bed we were all pretty exhausted.

Jaiden woke about ever hour through the night but she slept pretty well and woke around 8. It wasn't the greatest night of sleep but she seems to be slipping back into her routine very nicely and not too cranky when she stays up all day.

Sunday
Jaiden's Birthday Party! It was a fun day. Jaiden ate a banana and some scrambled egg and then took a nice nap. Woke had lunch...took another nap and then it was party time! She was a very good girl and never once got cranky. We had the Slater family, the Markowski family and the Sanders family join us for cake and ice cream to celebrate her special day. The house got a bit busy at times but it did seem to faze her one bit. She really enjoyed all the children and all the extra attention.

Getting the toys out of their boxes kept me pretty much "tied down" for the rest of the evening! I've never seen so much wiring!!! There's no fear of those toys ever falling out of their boxes if they suddenly get the wild urge to run...

Jared's quote of the day "I'm so glad I have a baby sister" :) aaaawwww isn't that sweet! He also likes that she comes equipped with some cool new toys - he enjoys playing with them almost as much as she does! I have to constantly remind him whose toy it is when she wants to play too. They are some pretty cool toys once you get them out of the box...

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Thank you all for praying for our family and Praise the Lord that they were answered!

Much Love,
Kim

Sigh of relief...

The passport is in the mail - Seattle sent it out on Wednesday hopefully it will arrive on Thursday (today) so they can fly out tomorrow (Friday) Being in a time zone warp is crazy when you are trying to get very important things done. I am 7 hours difference from Jaiden and Seattle is 2 hours difference from them...I just can't wait till she's back in my arms. I've got lots and lots of kisses and cuddles stored up with her name on em'!

You gotta be kidding me!!!

Last night Scott tells me that he contacted the passport office to check on Jaiden's passport - it was supposed to have been ready on Monday but he was in Grand Forks...well it seems that whoever took the application didn't know the process much and neglected to inform us of one very MAJOR detail - they will not process a passport for her until they get a notarized letter from me! WHAT?!!! You tell us this NOW - just two days before they are supposed to come home!! If Jaiden doesn't have a passport by Friday, Daddy has to come back to Germany without her! We may miss her First Birthday and Christmas!!! This cannot be happening!!!

I faxed them a notarized letter this morning - I hope they can get it together and fix this - I will be one very angry Momma if they won't let my baby come home! Grrrr! I'm about ready to fly over on my broom and get her right now. It was one hellova day yesterday and this news came just before I gave up and went to bed...praying that the day was just a really bad dream that I would wake from and everything would be better.

Today, we are still waiting to see what tommorow brings...and praying for a miracle to come and bring our baby her passport so she can come home. I miss her so much!!!

You complete me

Jaiden has been gone a week now - and it's just miserable here without her! I didn't know I'd miss her so much but the house is too quiet and I am having baby withdrawals...I hope next week goes by quickly! They'll be home on Saturday!!!

Little Miss America

Jaiden flew out today to become an American citizen! She is on her way to Minnesota with her Daddy heading right into what has become the first big snow storm of the year and shutting down airports from Dallas to Chicago. They are scheduled to arrive in Chicago on time (although their flight out this morning was delayed due to the plane being delayed coming from Chicago) but their flight to MN has been cancelled so looks like they will be spending the night. Jaiden's first night as an American will be spent in a snow lock. Good thing we packed her snow suit! Looks like she's gonna need it.

kisses

OK ya'll - before you start thinkin Jaiden really don't like us I'd better update. Friday night was a ladies night and the girls were on fire - Jaiden was burning up with fever and so we were up together most of the night keeping the flames at bay with motrin and a cool cloth. She is cutting her top toothies and they are giving her heck but she never did cry she just fussed a bit. She didn't even want her binkie because her throat was too sore to suck on it...so we just cuddled and rocked the night away.

We had a lazy weekend just being good and lazy. Never getting out of our jammas and veggin in front of the tv all weekend.

Sunday night Jaiden made this sound with her tongue - a kiss sound I had to go run and get the camera to get it but I will have to somehow magnify her and cut me trying to get her to repeat it over and over. It's the cutest sound and I don't know how she does it - kinda clucks with her tongue and upper lip but it sounds like a pucker kiss. It's soooo cute! So it's not quite my first kiss but it will do. It seems that she is growing attached after all and she definitely likes having me around even when I make her mad sometimes. Sometimes she just gets a little overwhelmed with it all and I need to let her take it all in at her pace. She has been adjusting so well to us and it melts my heart every day when her face lights up in an ear to ear smile and she gives a happy squeal when I walk through the door.

Three steps forward...Four steps back

Somedays I wonder if Jaiden wants to go back to her old life. Yesterday was one of those days. She wouldn't look at me and I could tell she didn't feel good but when I tried to hold her and comfort her she just pushed me away and the more I held her the madder she got. Somedays I wonder if she will ever really accept me as her mother. I know it is not something to be taken for granted - when it happens she will love me unconditionally but right now I don't think she can stand the sight of me. She loves to be held but she doesn't want to look at me - maybe she is not ready to accept me yet, not really sure. It doesn't help that I leave her every day and go to work but we can't afford for me to stay home. I try to snuggle with her and play games with her to interact and stimulate eye to eye contact and she is for the most part adjusting very well - it's just moments like yesterday that make me wonder just how tightly she is clinging to her old self...and when will she let go and really love us as much as we love her.

Cute as a bug

Smile in this getup - You're kidding me right?

Much better without the hat but still can't move in this thing - get me outta here!


We finally got around to getting photos of Jaiden in her caterpillar costume - she was none too amused!

2 months ago today Jaiden was placed into our arms. She has grown so much in such a short time and we can't believe it's only been 2 months - it seems like she has always been a part of our lives. I don't know how we ever got along without her.

We are gearing up for winter - Friday went to Trier and got winter caps, gloves and leggings. Still not really ready for the cold to come but at least we have the gear.

Check out family updates at this link

Update

I posted a long update last week but blogger wasn't working so it didn't post so I'm not sure what I wrote about anymore.

Highlights of the week:
Jaiden has 2 teeth (1.5 actually)
Jaiden is starting to crawl!
Jaiden can feed herself (HUGE accomplishment)
Stands longer and longer and is starting to "cruise"
Can say MommmMommmmMommmmm - almost a "Mommy" :)

Sleep? Well she does sleep all night but usually wakes several times needing to be covered or her binky put back into her mouth. Must teach her to reach over and grab it herself ;)

She's eating well - LOVES Daddy's chili!

And just yesterday as I was leaving Ms Suzy's she showed signs of sadness and apprehension - so I think she is starting to miss me! This is a huge move since she hasn't seemed to care who took care of her and was happy with everyone...not that this is bad but just made me wonder if she was bonding with us or not. She gives me the biggest smiles each day when I come to pick her up and gets all excited and bouncy so I think maybe she likes me :)

The Halloween that wasn't

*The cute costume that arrived two days too late...
I know, I know - this is where the cute first photo of halloween is supposed to be with the kids all dressed up in their cute costumes but welllll....it just didn't happen that way this year.

First of all, we were waiting for Dad to come home and hoping he had been able to go to the post office (Jaiden's costume hasn't arrived yet) Jared tried his batman costume on about 5 times and at 5 oclock still no sign of Dad...by then it had gotten dark as a cauldron and the temps dropped into the low 40s and it was starting to rain. Jaiden already had a cold so I decided not to get her out in the weather and Dad could watch her while I ran Jared around to trick or treat on base. Well Dad rolled in around 6 and he looked and sounded horrible! I drugged him up and sent him straight to bed - Cody and I went on base a while later (he wanted to go to the haunted house) but the line was like 45 min long so we decided against that too.

so we're just a bunch of fuddy duddy's this year. Jared is mad - keeps asking when it's going to be halloween (yeah he keeps rubbing it in) and I do feel really bad but life goes on. There's always next year.

So while I can barely run a household, I'm really impressed with Pres Bush being able to find time in between running the country to hand out candy to kids at Robins AFB. That is so cool! I could use some of his time management skills :)

I've seen better days

(that is the song that is running through my head this morning)as I prepare to get up and take the plunge into another week. It was a weekend spent going back and forth to the hospital, Cody should be coming home today around noon we hope. He is bored to tears but it is still better for him to be there than at home should anything go wrong again. Seeing a puddle of your childs blood is something no mother should ever have to endure...that's the gore - it was much worse but I will spare you the details unless you are into that kind of thing. If so, imagine the grossest and scariest thing you've ever seen and multiply that times 10. We had some "real" halloween decor that was not intentional by our door.

Anyway I will try to post a new photo of Jaiden - she is still nuki nose but is feeling better and eating now so she must be getting over the cold a little bit.
Having two kids sick on a weekend really bites...thought I'd throw in some holiday terminology ;) lol

We are hoping that Jaiden's costume arrives today - if not it is a surprise to us all as to what she will be this year.

a photo for you

Ok bloggy buddies I will try to post a photo here as I download more photos onto Dropshots and see which loads the fastest :) Here goes....

Wooo Hoo!!! It only took a few seconds! Blogger is back in business!

This photo is taken just a few minutes ago and shows Jaiden not feeling so good. She has a bit of a runny nose and is just feeling icky. Don't you just want to give her a kiss and make it all better?

I wrapped her in my favorite jacket and she's lying in the moonchair looking up at me as I blog since she doesn't want to be held right now.

Jaiden's special day

We had a Homecoming Celebration yesterday with just a few close friends to introduce our daughter and thank everyone for being a part of our adoption experience. It went very well but I now know why parents shouldn't do their own baby showers.

We had about 27 all together with 16 adults and 11 kids - starting from 2 on to around 8 pm. Jaiden LOVED all the attention and couldn't get enough of being held. She was in her groove all smiles and laughter the whole evening.

This morning getting ready for school she had a major meltdown when I had to put her in the exersaucer and help Jared get ready for school. After an entire day of being Miss Center of the Universe she was none too happy to go back to her everyday routine toys - ooooh no! She wanted to be held - soon as I picked her up the tears stopped and her smile returned. She's rotten to the core! Pampered Princess thru and thru. I love to hold her but there is no getting anything done when I do because it takes two hands to hold all that floppsiness and energy. She is quite a workout! I've got to find a way to get her better aclimated to playing with her toys and let mommy not be the jungle gym for a while. It's exhausting but in a good way :) I've been dreaming of this for too many years to complain! I'm just glad that the only quirk in this sweet sweet child is that she was loved a bit too much. I think we can live with that :)

First visit to the pool

We took Jaiden for her first visit to the pool last night (Jared and I) and the way she just floated along clutching her floatie makes me think that "hey, she's done this before!" I expected her to want to cling to me and get a bit freaked out by moving water *we were in a circular pool with current but she just laid her head back in the water or leaned forward into the floatie and drifted along as cool as a cucumber. There is a waterfall that you float by and she got big eyes when the water splashed all over her face but she showed no signs of apprehension...the girl is a natural born aquifer! (I don't know what an aquifer is but it sounded right)

Now we are preparing for her Homecoming Celebration being held this afternoon. So much to do yet and I have no idea why I decided to do this...I hope Jaiden is not overwhelmed.

Jaiden is 10 Months!!!

This is a belated post - Jaiden hit 10 months yesterday!!! We are going through so many milestones together and it is just such a joy to watch as she grows. Here are some of her progresses since we've been home:

- First tooth has emerged!

- Second tooth is coming through!

- Her happy, smiling personality is coming back now that she doesn't have as much pain from the teeth

- She gets stronger every day and can almost pull herself up by herself and cannot crawl but scoots backwards if placed on her belly

- still working on the grasping technique of cheerios but she is getting there - if she grabs a whole handful and tries to stuff them in,usually one will stick to her lips and she can get it in.

- She doesn't like to be confined so the car seat is very challenging - she scoots her body down over the belt clip so I have to scoot her back up, dig around for the clip (which never stays in place) and then get all the hooks in place while she wiggles and squirms her way out of the harness and screams at me for being so mean as to make her sit bound to a seat that doesn't move.

- Her sleep has gotten more and more disruptive, not sure if it's because of the break in schedule from her in childcare or whether it's just the teeth waking her in the night but we often find her flipped completely around and sometimes even on her belly in her crib at night. We usually get up several times a night just to relocate the binky and cover her back up.

First Days in Daycare...

Well, everyone is wondering why I haven't been writing I'm sure ;) it's been a week now since I've returned to work and things are going fairly well.... We are having some adjustment issues with the new "rules" plus Jaiden is teething and they hurt her terribly so she is not such a happy girl this week.

The new "rules" of being in care under the Family Childcare Center (FCC)

- cannot have cereal mixed in bottle this is a HUGE issue because if you remember from our meager beginnings it took a while to find a bottle and mix that Jaiden would accept and finally we found she likes room temperature milk shakes (nice THICK pudding consistency milk)so needless to say she is not taking to the puny runny stuff too well.

- cannot be in separate room to sleep...and no crib ANOTHER huge issue because she cannot sleep without a dark and quiet room so she is totally exhausted when I pick her up at 5 - meaning she wants to sleep and we don't get much time to interact with her unless we want to stay up into the wee hours of the night...so this is not going so well.

She's been eating good and Ms Susy is nice so maybe in another day or so we will adjust into some sort of a routine...until then we are not digging this new situation very much.

One month ago...was Adoption Day!!!

Exactly one month ago today Jaiden was placed into our arms and adopted into our family forever. Cody made a special video today (unknowing that it was a special anniversary) here it is. Hope you enjoy! Please post comments for Cody (he did a great job didn't he?) You may have to hit the play button (arrow) twice to get the video to play. Let me know if it's not working.

Hair Help!

(Before Photo) Help! I just can't stand it anymore - my hair that is. It is a thick wad of brownish red funky horse tail hanging around my face and I don't know what to do with it! I am going in for a haircut tommorrow (Friday the 13th) and I need some suggestions. When I made the appt and the lady made the comment "oh it's on Friday the 13th I accidentally popped out with "oh I hope I don't look too scary when I leave here" luckily the guy that is cutting my hair has a great sense of humor (and is a great stylist)...he laughed! I really would like to try something different. My hair right now is LONG and permed - it is naturally straight, thick and blah! I hate it to be straight so I would like a curly layered look that is low maintenance.



(After Photo) I lost 10 lbs!!! It felt like I was floating :)

1st day in daycare

Today Daddy returned to work and Jaiden went to play at Ms Suzy's for a while. Dad is still not feeling 100% like himself yet but he's doing much better after the 4 day Migraine.

Ms Suzy is really nice and we think she will take good care of our ladybug. Daddy works nights so she is only in care for 3 hours a day usually. Today it was 5 hrs and she was a bit overstimulated by all the children but she did really well.

In sickness and in health...

I couldn't decide where to put this update since it doesn't revolve around Jaiden but since she was such a good sport and went along with me and kept me very entertained - as well as all the patients and doctors, then I will highlight our last two days events here. What day is it anyway? I seem to have lost track. If today is Tuesday it is the day that I was planning on returning to work. But instead I had a reprive of sorts and got one extra special day to spend with my family. This is how it went down:

Sunday: Beautiful warm and sunny day so we decided to get out and enjoy it so we took the kids for a walk to the park. Then we took a walk to the walkplatz where everyone (and their brother) was out and walking the walkplatz and even the street (the street was blocked off so that people could walk on it but habit kept me drifting back onto the sidewalk) shops were actually open on a Sunday (it was awesome!!!) I've not seen that many stores open on the walkplatz ever and I kept saying "Wow, I didn't know that store was there" amazing what you can find out when the stores stay open during American shopping hours :) *Usually stores close at around 2pm on Saturday here - I'm just getting warmed up by that time on a Saturday!

Anyway, the boys didn't want to shop so we took them home and Scott, Jaiden and I headed back to the platz to shop. Didn't realize it would be to Scott's demise. He had a slight headache but thought nothing much of it, but by the time we got back home his head was throbbing and he was starting to feel a migraine coming on. He hadn't had one in about 20 years but used to get them really bad as a teen. He popped some meds and went to bed hoping to sleep it off.

The next day (Monday) Columbus Day we had another beautiful day. I finally had some motivation to paint our entry table which has gone unfinished for way long enough (3 years) I went to the store for supplies and left Dad couched with the kids. They had more fun watching cartoons than being dragged around a hardware store. I returned to find him feeling much worse by late evening he was begging to go to the ER and he doesn't normally go to see a doc unless he is on his last leg so this was pretty serious. So the boys stayed home and Jaiden and I hauled Daddy over to the ER for some help. 2.5 hours later I left Daddy at ER, took Jaiden home to her crib and then headed back to ER. Dad had been pumped full of fluids and drugs but he was sicker than I've ever seen him. The doc let him go home hoping he would sleep it off but he was sick most of the night and got up every hour so he didn;t get much rest. By morning he was much worse so I got him an early morning appt with our family doc and spent the morning rehydrating. By noon he still didn't feel any better so we got a refferal for a cat scan at a local hospital...which was quite an adventure in itself. We finished there and headed back to see our base doc with the results on disk - nothing was wrong which is a huge relief but he still didn't feel any better so he got a shot of something no one in the clinic had ever administered and had been sitting on the shelf for about 10 years - it made him puke but a few minutes later the throbbing in the head had minimized YAY!!! He still feels like poo and will need a re-evaluation in the am but for now we seem to have cleared migraine mountain and are making our way down the other side.

*Ok now the part about Jaiden...she did GREAT in the waiting room! She kept us all entertained bouncing in her squeaky shoes and smiling at everyone. She still loves to be flipped and held up "flying" and our new game is "stretch and tickle" it's so cute - I'll have to try to catch it on video somehow. While she's laying in my lap facing me, I stretch her legs out towards me and she stretches her arms out above her head while she dangles over my knees and then I tickle her armpits...she loves it! Mommy got quite a workout today!

Side note - we have been spending entirely too much time in doctors offices in the past two weeks. What is going on??? I feel like I have a sign hanging over my head saying "You're next!" So I have not gone back to work yet - tommorrow we have a morning followup and hopefully Daddy will be back to his normal self again. I really miss him. When he is sick he is a big baby so it has been like having another child to take care of. Ok I hear Jaiden calling - gotta go!

14 Days!

Wow! I can't believe that we have been home for 14 days already!!! It seems just moments ago we were still waiting for our referral...and now our daughter is here!

Were oh were has the time gone? I will be returning to work on Tuesday...:( and I am so going to miss those little moments spent being just a Mommy.

We have discovered that Jaiden is quite the little gymnist wanna be! She loves to be twirled - yes twirled around and around in the air! I can only do two flips before she wears me out but she will be squealing for more when I'm done - she is going to love gymnastics, roller coasters and high flying adventure! She LOVES to go, go, go!

She seems to be getting stronger and more balanced every day and very soon she will have the courage to let our fingers go and take those precocious first steps. I am amazed by this little child and her spunk to embrace the challenges in her path. I know she is destined for great things when I observe her observing everything around her with keen interest and reaching out to touch and feel it as well. She is very inquisitive about everything around her and doesn't want to miss a thing.

Jared and Cody continue to be doting big brothers too, amazing me every day with the way they rush to take care of their sis when she needs something. She adores them too, even when they get a bit smotherly and overwhelming. She has been sleeping very well and is starting to get over her chest cold. All the kids have been sick with various bugs since we've been back and they are all starting to work it out of their systems. Jared still has a cough but it seems to be getting better.

Jaiden attended her first birthday party today and did great with all the other babies and it was fun to get a hands on review of all the cool new toys on the market - this kid had them all! We had planned to do a homecoming celebration for Jaiden next weekend but had to cancel - it seems someone's baby shower was scheduled for that same date and time. Never mind that our adoption took years to complete and no one will ever throw Jaiden a shower to celebrate her birth...Could I please rescedule? Uh, no I don't think so - sorry if our being in existance interferes with your life. Yes, I am still a bit annoyed about it and yesterday I had a hard time with it and even got me to wondering if I even have any real friends but I'm doing a little better today after my all day pity party. Yes it would be nice to have one true friend but a party is nothing but mandantory fun if people don't want to be there...and I'm not about to force or coerce someone into coming to anything else since they obviously have much better things to do. Jaiden really doesn't need "stuff" and superficial friends are only temporary anyway so it really doesn't matter. We have the greatest gift ever and nothing is going to take that happiness away.

Photo of the week

Cutie Pie! (Favorite toys - empty bottles and chip clips)

I have to applaud stay at home moms

Today was an initiation into the life of a Professional Mom. The day began at 0430 am when Jared woke with a tummy ache. After some milk, french toast sticks, a dose of pepto, a trip to the potty and an episode of Barney he is feeling better but I have a splitting headache, and would love to fall back to sleep for another hour. But it's time to prepare a lunch, finish homework and check on Cody who came home at midnight last night from having emergency surgery on his throat. He is doing much better but the doc recommends that his wisdom teeth be removed...he will be out of school for two weeks. Spend some time with hubby who braved the thunderstorm and rain late in the night to take Cody to the doctor an hour away since we have no decent medical facility in our military community (We live 2 min from a German hospital but can only use this facility in a dire emergency)Then is time to take Jared to kindergarten, gather together all books and school parafinalia, locate shoes etc. pull out the winter jackets since it has turned winter in Germany, and head out. Maneuver between the mulitude of minivans in the parking lot and squeeze in between two - gosh I don't miss the minivan a bit right about now! Hurry Jared inside and watch him put away all his things in their proper areas without even having to be told a dozen times where they go (now why can't he do that at home?)
Head home to play with baby, she is in a very good mood after a full nights sleep (didn't wake up until 0730 and was asleep by 7:30 pm) Go to MOPS with my friend Heather (a 2 hr spill your guts session with lots of much younger super moms and their screaming babies - I don't spill my guts out loud so this was awkward for me) Came home, had lunch (or rather fed baby my lunch)and then got ready to pick Jared up from school, took Jaiden to a doctor's appt (went all the way to the other base (15 miles) only to find out that the appt was at Bitburg)luckily I was way early so we make it to the other side in time to find the way to the reception desk blocked by a little girl sprawled out on the floor screaming in pain because she had thrown herself on the floor and dislocated her elbow (her parent's were like "oh no worries she's done this before" well could she have her little self abusive tantrum somewhere other than the front desk of Pediatrics? Gosh! So Jared watches his sis out in the hallway while I scoot past the little girl and check in...amist her screams...not so much of pain but of I want my Mommy to pay attention to me. While the whole entire clinic has her attention the Mom is trying not to play into her little overblown drama bit while still being concerned about the elbow which is grossly disfigured. We get all checked in and directed to the quiet zone...the waiting area and see the little girl come out of the docs office with her dad in tow - perfectly fine and her dad says "you ready to go to ballet class? and she says "uh huh" oh my gosh! What the heck did we just witness? I guess throwing her arm out is a normal everyday occurance. I just shake my head and wonder sometimes. It's finally Jaiden's turn and we get to go do the strip and weigh the naked baby routine in a much too cold room. This is going to work wonders on the cold Jaiden has had since the day we met her. I ask the doc about it and all he says is "oh just keep her on the stuff you're already giving her" like dude - it's freakin not workin! He doesn't seem to hear me - maybe I just imagined saying that. Her lungs sound fine he says "Never mind the rumbling in her chest" I reply - "oh yeah that just sounds like she's a bit congested" the doc replies I'd like to say "Where'd you get your certification - the back of a band aids box?" I refrain and politely ask "is there anything you can give or recommend for that?" "No just give her some Robotussin" he says After a while we are finally done and given a clear bill of health - have to get blood drawn at the lab to make sure she doesn't have Hepatitis and take some x-rays to make sure she doesn't have typhoid disease but gosh golly we've got ourselves a healthy Asian baby. Yes, it felt a bit like we were being run through the gammet for bringing a foreigner into our world. It was oh such a bit annoying. It gave me a short burst of perverse pleasure when Jared jacked up his chair on the way out :)

*By the way - what is a simplified answer to a 5 year olds question of what the stirrups are used for on an examining table? I think Jared examined every moving object in the examination room today and that was one item that just fascinated him. I told him people put their feet in the stirrups for the exam and he said "so the doctor could examine their FEET?" Uh, not exactly sweetie...we'll talk about that another time.

On to the lab, where we had blood taken - it came from Jaiden but you could have said we all felt the pain. She was doing great and they were poking and prodding her to find that tiny itty bitty vein but when they poked her and just held her arm down for about 20 min she'd had enough and it was all the two techs and I could do to keep her in place. It took forver to fill that massive tube and I thought they were about to drain her but they finally stopped and said they would ration what they had to get the tests done that they needed.

Then to X-rays - she smiled pretty for the camera. Guess she didn't realize it was a photo of her insides but I enjoyed it :) Jared sat nicely out in the waiting room...after trying to dance with the skeleton on display.

Finally we were done!!! We celebrated with McDonalds cheeseburgers and strawberry shakes! Num Num! Jaiden passed her first home medical exam with flying colors in the good attitude department and Jared won the best door opener award for helping Mommy to get around carring Jaiden on one hip and a baby carrier on the other...for some reason when the baby is in those contraptions they weigh 10x their weight! So it was just easier to carry one on each side.

Whew! It's been an exhausting day - oh and I forgot to mention that after I'd gotten the kiddos bathed and ready for bed, had given Jaiden her bottle and then picked her up to burp her and she unloaded on me, herself and Jared's playmat in his room...so it was back to square one - bathe, lotion, new jammies, bottle etc...for us both.

So I totally respect anyone that can take on the task on being a Professional Mom. It has got to be the toughest most grueling job on the entire planet - I am a Working Mom so I wear dual hats but I think my day is not nearly as draining as that of a full time Mom. It's also the most wonderful job I've ever had and I am gong to miss this so much when I have to go back to work next week - It's been such an extrordinary time to share with my children the joys and concerns of their days. I've so enjoyed just being there when they wake, being there when they head off to school, being there when they need me, being there when they don't and just watching them play, being there in the early afternoon before we all all too drained to think straight, being there to enjoy an afternoon snack, being there to enjoy a nice dinner together, being there to tuck them in to bed each night and not rush through it so that I can get to bed as soon as they are asleep, being able to blog about these moments...aaaaah it is a joyful time indeed.

Photos on Blogger

It worked!!! Mommy loaded a photo!!! Yay!!! She's been pulling her hair out all week trying to do this. Now she is so happy! Me too!
*Mommy could use some advice on what to do with my hair - it has split ends already! My bangs hang all the way to my nose and I love to scratch and pull at my hair when I am tired (thus the pebbles look is the only one I let stay in my hair)Mommy has a fun time wrestling with me and catching my head when she tries anything on the sides or in the back - I out maneuver her every time!

Thank You Connie!!!

Connie the Fridge DJ came today! It is an awesome toy! Jaiden has not been introduced yet (late here and don't want to get her all excited before bed) but our 5 year old has "tested" it out and found it "way cool!" He loves to play with it too - he had the leap karioke when he was 2 - I'm sure he will teach her how to use it well and it will be a mega hit for a long long time! Thank You so very much!

Settling In

We are happily home and starting to settle into a routine somewhat. Still not sleeping through the night (Mom or Jaiden)our sleeping pattern is all out of whack! We slept so good in China! Not sure what is going on there. Jaiden is starting to get into her normal sleeping patter again (9pm -6am, 9am-10, 1pm-2pm)She's a good sleeper when she does sleep but she's grump when she's tired! (Just like her Momma!)

Thought I'd add some interesting tidbits we've learned about Jaiden thus far:

Within minutes after referral we found out she sweats profusely when tired and will tear at her hair, ripping out barrettes and mangling her beautiful hair into a wild mane! Explains why her hair is such a mess in the referral photo!

She is very curious; love to touch and "feel" everything
Very observant; she watches everyone and everything and will snap her body around to find the source of a sound.

She has a ready smile - and for some reason when I go "Pop" with my mouth it makes her laugh hysterically (only me, Scott can't get the same response)

She is very tickelish - her back is the most tickelish (again just like her Momma)

She can be quite ornery when tired (again like her Momma?)

She likes music and toys with motion - her favorite toy is a strobe light that vibrates and plays music. She holds it to her mouth and lets it massage her gums.

She has no teeth yet but has a swollen spot on her lower gums, can't feel a tooth yet but it is pretty swollen up so hopefully one will push through soon. It's giving her a lot of misery right now.

She is very vivacious - her energy level is EXTREMELY HIGH - we put her in the jumparoo and she about goes nuts bouncing and squealing. She has great potential to be a Cheer captain someday! She prefers to jump in our arms though but it is very hard to hang on to such a wiggly squirmy little thang!

In the first days, she would get so excited her whole body would vibrate and wiggle...wish I'd captured that on camera.

She's got an amazing deep laugh that is very contagious and we haven't unleashed the belly laughs yet but we continue to try :)

Jaiden is such an amazing sweet child and we are so blessed to call her our daughter. Each day is a new gift and the memories we are making are priceless.

Home at Last!!!

Our journey to China is complete. Jaiden is now home and fitting into our everyday family life like she has always been here. It is amazing to watch the kids together and see how well they have bonded in such a short time. She has quickly become very spoiled too with all the attention and constant holding. She doesn't care to be out of anyone's arms for more than lunch. So that makes blogging a bit difficult ;) Right now she is sitting right beside me in her exersaucer loudly complaining at me that I am not holding her and being her jungle gym. There are worse ways to spend a day but not much gets done when you are carrying around a 17.5 pound flopsy doll. She has no body strength other than her legs so I can only assume that she was carried around a lot. She hates being on her stomach and topples over when she sits for very long. Developementally she is a little behind on some things but is very smart and knows how to maneuver the soft spots with Mommy and Daddy. Life is glorious and we are so very happy with our sweet baby girl. You can read all about the story of our journey to China or view photos of our daily life.

Our Day in Tonggu

We had the most amazing day today! I will tell all about it in the a.m. We just got in and it is late - we've had a very full day! Check out the photos.

I've really loved reading the comments about the photos, it gives me a lift each day when I log on and can see someone has visited us :)

Jaiden is just amazing!!!

This child has been sent to us straight from heaven! Our day has been awesome beyond words. Please view our photos at the link below.

Photos of our trip....?

Ok, blogger just isn't going to cut it - I can't seem to load photos on this site so I will load them onto Jaiden's website and just follow along from there - I will try to put together a slideshow in the meantime...

Ok, it's late and we have a BIG day tommorrow and then I need to write an update for Jaiden's journey so I am off to bed now. I am trying to add photos but nothing seems to be working tonight. Try this link hopefully it will work with some photos for ya.

We made it!!!

Hello from CHINA!!!! After two days of travel (I think we lost a day in there somewhere) we are finally at our hotel in Nanchang, China. We are staying at the Lakeview and oh is it ever awesome!!! The poor photos I was able to take of the view doesn't come close to doing it justice. It is HUGE! We are on the 14th floor and we are not even close to the top! It gives me shivers to look down because everything down there is sooo tiny. We are right on the lake and if today wasn't rainy I'm sure it would be really an awesome site.

Where do I begin to explain this place? China is amazing! Unlike anything I could have ever imagined. I had heard about the driving but until we experienced it - I could not fathom it. Bikers, buses, autos, walkers and mopeds all zoom around in the same space like crazy and they don't use turn signals they use their horns! Actually our driver had his blinker on most of the way from the airport to the hotel but I don't think he ever realized it and I didn't want to say it and be the bad American backseat driver.

Right now we have a MAJOR party going on in the middle of our hotel - the ballroom. I suppose it is a prom or something but they are JAMMIN and it is about 8pm here so I'm hoping they will call it a night soon because we have been traveling for two days and would like to sleep before we see our daughter at 11 am tommorrow!!! It is still amazing that we are going to have a daughter! I have an empty crib sitting right here in the corner that will be full of baby in just a few more hours!

Scott and I had an awesome dinner in the hotel dining room. We have breakfast and dinner buffet included in the cost of the room, as well as internet and lots of other perks we haven't discovered yet :) We've never stayed in a 5 star hotel before so tipping is a new concept for us - we've learned to always be prepared and have some urumbie? on us at all times.

The most exciting part of our two day trip to get here was the lady in front of me at Frankfurt (an elderly gramma) had a kitchen knife in her purse - that was kinda weird and a lady had an inflight emergency when we were flying over Russia and we were all getting worried that we may have to divert. The lady was sick to her stomach and I guess they must have gotten her over it somehow because we didn't divert and made it to Shanghai around 10:00 am China time. The air on the plane was extremely dry and we were all dehydrated by the time we got off the plane so I wasn't feeling so great either but we made it to our connecting airport and had a nice lunch (soup & tea for me) rice and veggies for Scott. Not sure what all we ate for dinner from the buffet but it was really good! I had steak, fish, veggies, and two kinds of cake w/coffee - guess my appetite is returning already!

Well, it has been quite a day x2? And we see our baby girl first thing in the morning so we have some homework to do getting prepared. I will try to post more as soon as I can but after today things may get a bit busy around here.

I will try to post some photos too and see if they work or not

We're on our way!

We are seeing the boys off to school today and then heading to the airport. We are finally on our way Jaiden!

0712 - Cody is off (first tears, it is really hard to see the boys go when they should be coming with us)

Next is Jared - my baby boy - I will be a wreck! We are taking him to school today.

Ok, this is the last post for a while - we are packing up the computer now.

Thank You Blog friends for following our journey!!! I don't know if I'll be able to blog from China or not but we have a website that will have photos updated daily (the moderator is in our group) Please follow along at this link:

Oh, and please keep us in your prayers! Thank You! Thank You!!! We'll "see ya" on the other side!

We're really going to CHINA!

It's still sinking in that we are indeed traveling to China to bring our daughter home! I was sitting out in my sunroom this morning looking out at the tomatos and thinking to myself "before those green ones ripen, we are going to have a daughter!" OH MY!!! I'm getting very emotional already, just thinking about leaving the boys behind brings on tears. It is my first time away from Jared for this long and I know I'm leaving one baby to bring another home but my heart wants them both to be there with me. I know the boys will enjoy their time at the Slaters and they will be great SIM parents in our absence but I am going to miss them so much!

Here's our itenerary:
11 Sept 5 pm - CHINA here we come!!!
12 Sept 9 am - arrive in Shanghai
12 Sept - fly to Nanchang
13 Sept - Nanchang
14 Sept - We MEET OUR DAUGHTER!!!!
15 Sept - Nanchang
16 Sept - Orphanage Visit (tentative)
17 Sept - local sightseeing
18 Sept - Nanchang
19 Sept - Go to Guangzhou
20 Sept - Consulate appt 10:00
21 Sept - Guangzhou
22 Sept - Homecoming Day!!!

We finally have confirmation of travel...

I don't think I will breathe again until they place Jaiden into my arms, but for now we seem to be on track to go get her.

As of late, late last night (Germany time) we STILL didn't have tickets confirmed. Why? Because it takes 24-48 hrs for the airline to process the tickets and our bank, well it seems that no matter what we say to them to authorize the payment, they can't seem to get it right. So after multiple calls back and forth between our bank and the airline we FINALLY got them to process our ticket and take the money from our account. I just don't understand why you can't just tell your bank that you want x amount of money to go to a company and have it done no matter how long it takes for the company to process your request. This 24 hr window almost killed us with the time changes between our countries...So word of advice for anyone doing this in the future - make sure your bank will authorize the funds! I understand they are trying to protect us from theft (wish they'd had this feature when someone stole our credit card and cleared out our bank account a few years ago) but I wish that you could have more flexibility over your own finances in times like these - we didn't really need the added stress of not being able to purchase tickets!

So now we're off to figure out how to pack everything into under 44 lbs! That is all the weight we are authorized each on this trip...and we have more than that in baby gear! So I guess any shopping done we will be eliminating clothing and other items as we go...or maybe just take one change of clothes and shop there! :) Ok, that may get pretty old wearing the same jeans day after day - maybe I can do laundry in the room and dry with a hairdryer??? Oh, this is going to get interesting...

Falling back into place

We have new (e-tickets) to Shanghai

FedEx is coming today with our passports

Our money is being wired to China

Our TA is being sent ahead to China

Paperwork should be finished today *Notarized docs

Maybe we will even get a day to spend with the boys before we go! The past two days have been chaotic and they have not seen much of me other than racing around the house like a crazed person trying to make all the calls that had to be made. I'm so thankful that everything is starting to come together again and the small heart attach yesterday cleared the fog and now I am focused on what lies ahead :) Our beautiful baby girl awaits!

*Thank You for your prayers and encouraging words during this time - knowing that we are surrounded in prayer is the greatest gift a person could ever recieve!

What a day!!!

Just when we think it's all coming together...

- We find out our tickets were not confirmed because we need to contact the bank and increase our limit - it seems they will only allow so much of OUR money to be spent at a time without their permission :(

- We get our fingerprints update today :)

- We get our employment letters notarized :)

at 1205 - We find out that FEDeX has our passports on their truck and on their way to our house :)

- We are not at our house and no one is home :( so Scott races home only to have missed the truck by about 5 minutes...:(

- We contact the bank and they extend our withdrawal amount so we can purchase tickets only to find that Air China needs a paper ticket and there is no time to get it mailed to us before we travel so we need to make a 4 hour drive to the airport to purchase the ticket before the hold expires...but someone has to be here when FedEx arrives tommorrow :(

- Our agency calls and tells us we cannot travel without TA - which they have not sent to us yet and will get it in the mail today and it would arrive MAYBE on Monday (the day we scheduled to travel) and also we cannot wire money at this time because it takes up to 3 weeks to wire funds to China!

So we have no tickets, we have no money, we have no TA and we have no passports!

*and my little world that was once spinning like a top came to a complete and totally devestating crush point just now so I feel broken into pieces and don't know what to do. Can we still make it to China this week? Will we meet our daughter? Please pray with us that everything that has fallen apart will fall back into place again. Miracles happen! We truly need one right about now.

We're going to CHINA!!!

In just 4 days we are going to CHINA!!! I can hardly type this...I was up till midnight booking tickets so I don't know how I will function the rest of the week :) With a big dopey grin on my face I'm sure!!!

We're going to China in 4 days!!!

*Almost forgot - our passports were in New Jersey as of 0730 am yesterday and should arrive to our house TODAY :)

Thank God!!! Everything is falling into place!

5 days!!!

In 5 days I will have a daughter!!!

I feel quite drunk and dizzy...is the Earth spinning or is it just my mind? Dusty emailed me today and said she'd gotten a midnight email from her agency and we have finally recieved our CA!!!!

Our CA is 20 Sept!!!

This is going to be a whirlwind trip for sure - we return on 22 Sept!

So much to process and do in such a short time - where are our passports??? Must go find out where they are...

The latest news

It seems that TAs are here and Adam is working our CAs this week (all this info comes from the grapevine not our agency) From what I hear we (our group) could get our CA on Friday and leave on Sat or Monday!

Since we do not have passports or visas yet (they should have left Virginia on Tues) and FedEx normally takes around 4 days - we are not going to be ready to travel when our group is ready to go...this is very depressing news and my stomach is all in knots now waiting for everything to fall into place. I still can't believe we are so close and yet so far from knowing a single thing about our trip...

By the Grace of God we will survive this and someday (soon maybe?) we will have a beautiful daughter in our lives and all this emotion will be forgotten. We will see that we worried for nothing and everything was falling into place before us all along, all I really had to do was Let Go

Playing around with movie maker

Hope this works! I am working on a video for Jaiden while we wait for CA/TA to arrive. Bear with me, the videos are only 2 min each so they may cut off instead of fading away but I am only an amatuer...this is my practice session :)



Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing


Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing


Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing

Where is our CA????

"wanp wanp wanp wanp - wanp wanp wanp wanp"

I hear the news but I just don't understand it....We STILL don't have our Consulate Appts and they are now closed until Tuesday!!!!! URGH!!!!

How long does it frickin take to make an appt??? I can't believe I used that word, but I am very very annoyed and frustrated right now!!!!

117b party of 8???

From what I can tell, we have travel approval from China. Now we just need dates to travel (Consulate Appointment) and then we will be able to book tickets. We have been keeping tabs on tickets this month and they have gone from $700 to almost $2000 each. Would anyone like to vote on when we will travel and what our ticket will cost? We cannot afford $6000 tickets so if we don't get some dates to travel soon we are going to be outside of our "window" and will have to travel next month :( I never dreamed we would be this close and still so far away from knowing when we will see our daughter.

Visa Application on its Way!!!

We have finally gotten our Visa application mailed. Sent it off this afternoon YAY!!!

Congratulations to all the families that are getting referrals this month!!! YAY! It's exciting to see the good news being posted that your babies are here! And no rumors or waiting on the stork, what a blessing!


*Update
Checked on Sunday morning and the Visa application package has finally been logged in and is on its way to America!!!

Fingerprints and passport photos...

We had our fingerprints redone and in the mail yesterday, hopefully they arrive and the 171H is updated quickly...takes about two weeks the nice lady on the phone said.

We had our passport photos done today...Scotts turned out well - should I post them? Mine is preeeetty scary! We are still trying to figure out the whole visa application thing. After several phone calls to curier services we thinks we have it somewhat figured out...now to figure out how to get a FedX package mailed from here...

Complications and paperjams should be the title of this blog.

Fingerprints and guardian angels...

I called Frankfurt CIS office yesterday to check on our fingerprints/171-H and the prints I sent them Jul 14 have been lost in the mail...they never recieved them!!! They moved last year after our original request (didn't know this) So now we have to add re-do fingerprinting (again) to our list of things to do right away.

We talked with some friends last night whom are willing to keep the boys for us. There is still a lot of things to work out yet but we have a strong sense that this might just be ok after all. The boys will not miss any school and they will have the comforts of home during this high stress time. I still wish there were some way for them to come with but with all things considered, they will be better off not traveling right now...maybe we can plan a China trip someday as a family; when the planning part of it is actually in our control.

Visas and flying solo....

So Visa paperwork finally arrived via FedX yesterday!!! Woo Hooo! We need to complete more paperwork, get more notaries done...send in passports (yikes!) and wait some more for Travel Approval.

We also got word yesterday from a travel agency that tickets from Frankfurt to Beijing run somewhere along the lines of $2000! OUCH! Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Cha-ching! (You get the picture) We have been saving all year so the kids could make the trip with us but at this price it is unthinkable. Soooo...one of us has to stay behind with the boys while the other goes to China for Jaiden. Scott nominated me - I nominated him...late night discussing what to do. It is only 6 am so too early to check with local sources for airfare right now but travelocity is telling me that the cost of a roundtrip ticket from Frankfurt to Beijing is around $1300 - which is still pricey and we can't really afford this x5. Plus the issue of whether or not the boys can use their government issued passports is still unresolved...

It will be a highly stressful and emotional two weeks and the more I think about it the more I'm thinking that maybe the boys would benefit more from meeting their sister on their own turf instead of in a hotel room for two weeks...plus this would give Jaiden a chance to build a bond of trust with me so when she is thrown full throttle into this new world maybe she will be able to bounce back a little quicker.

I don't want to take this experience away from the boys and I worry about Jaiden's bond with Scott if he isn't there those first few days but I'm thinking maybe it will be easier on them all if they meet her at home. This is such a new twist and I have not even given a moments thought to what if the boys couldn't come along. I've always thought we would make this journey as a family. I could use all the advice I could get on this matter. What should we do?

Baby Stuff!!!

We went to the cleaners to pick up uniforms...and we couldn't resist picking up a bit of baby stuff too. So Jaiden now has diapers... lavender scented powder, lotion and a PINK bottle w/bottle accessories!!!

I couldn't resist "shopping" for Jaiden. I "fluffed" up the gift registry a bit. Amazon has more baby gear than I could have ever imagined!!! I added a lot of stuff but I had Jaiden's Birthday and Christmas in mind as I was doing it. I figured that whatever wasn't purchased for her homecoming would be on the list for later and it is so much easier shopping from one list. I know babies don't need that much stuff but it was all soooo cute that I couldn't resist putting it in the registry...just in case! :) Being on one list also makes it so much easier for everyone to see what she already has and what she needs.


*Question to bloggers - are you having trouble loading photos??? It takes forever to load just one or two photos - that is why there are not more pieces to Jaiden's quilt on the blog.

Thought You'd be Here...

Your mother and I
We’re praying through our tears that somehow
We might hear your sweet cry
Have we waited too long
It’s getting harder to be strong
Is there something we’ve done wrong
But if you like dancing
I'll make it rain rhythm, and rhyme, and melodies, child
And if you like dreaming
Your mother will make your imagination run wild
Somehow, we thought you’d be here by now
We have a room just for you upstairs
It’s right down the hall
So we’ll be close should you ever get scared
We’ll come when you call
It’s a room full of stories
Waiting to be told
Longing to behold
And if you like laughing
I’ll paint you a circus of smiles and ferris wheels, dear
And if you like living
Your mother will fly you to worlds both far and near
Somehow...
I never knew the silence could make me so deaf
I never knew that I could miss someone I’ve never met
Miss someone I haven’t met yet
We’ll be waiting

Lyrics by Wes King
... mirror the words in my heart

Do they really need a letter?

Our acceptance letter (like we would NOT accept this child) is now on its way back to China!!! Wooo Hooo!!! MAJOR hurdle crossing! Now we wait for TA (travel approval). The FedX man finally delivered our referral package today - hmmmm only 2 weeks after the Stork left China! That stork needs to be retired ;) We did a quick turn and got the signed letter back on the FedX truck this afternoon - boy I didn't think I would get all emotional over more paperwork but handing that package over to the guy got me all misty eyed and giddy. Our baby is one step closer to being ours forever!

In the referral packet there were lots of letters - most of which I've shared already (the medical and developement reports) and the original photos with Jaiden's chinese name written in Chinese characters on the back (which I plan on getting sewn into a tapestry while in China) I do plan on preserving her Chinese name too - it is a special part of who she is.

Here is another quick review of her developement report:
- Deep sleeper
- Holds head up while lying on stomach
- Rolls from supine to prone position by herself
- Grasps toy near hand
- Locates the direction of sound/voice
- Visually follows moving toys
- Holds blocks on each hand at the same time
- Looks for the dropped toy
- Reach and grasp a toy beyond
- Follows you with moving head from one side to the other
- Laughs aloud (there are belly laughs in there! I just knew it!)
- Distinguishes between acquaintance and strangers
- Sounds directed at someone or something
- Active
- Restless
- Fond of imitating
- Fond of listening to music
- Fond of playing with toys
- Quick in reaction
- Having a ready smile :)
- Closest to caretaker

This last one is a heart tugger because I know with all my heart that this miracle from God has not gone a day of her entire life without love. It took her birth mother 6 days to give her up and she is not living in an orphanage but rather in the care of a very special foster mother that devotes her every waking moment to the care and nurturing of this amazing child. She is happy, she is healthy and she is loved. What greater blessing can a mother pray for her child? I know as we prepare for her to come into our lives, there is a special family preparing their hearts to give her up and preparing her for the journey ahead. I pray that they somehow know that this beloved child will always know love and happiness, she will always be warm and welcomed into our family as the blessing she was born to be. I pray that they are blessed beyond measure for giving so selflessly to this child. They had her only for a moment but you can feel the love in the words that are written in the reports. She will not forget; their memories are sealed into her heart snug and tight and will unfold in her dreams as she sleeps soundly into the night. We will remember them often and pray for them much and maybe someday our paths will meet and we can express to them how much their care truly meant to us and our daughter.

Until then, we gaze upon her precious photos and fall deeper in love with her every day. We pray that she is having an extra special day today and that somehow she knows that we are here. Waiting for her to come into our lives. To bring a joy that we didn't know was missing. To light our lives with her amazing love. And maybe as she dreams tonight her dreams will unfold... and be of the family in the west that loves her more than they ever imagined possible....so much more that words cannot describe. I knew it would be easy to love her; I loved her deeply before we ever saw her face - but I never knew it would feel like this...it's like falling in love for the very first time and looking into the eyes of my children for the first time - it's deep and it's real and it has a strength and a bond like none other.

Jade

Jaiden's name comes from the jewel jade and means "God has heard". I did some research yesterday and found that the name fits more than I could have ever imagined. I was a bit worried about choosing this name and then it would be all wrong if she were a delicate flower sort of girl...the name Chloe is the name we have picked for that one :) Jaiden is a beautiful girl but also very strong and resilient. She glows from within; God has certainly blessed us with a beautiful jewel to treasure for all our lives! We fall more in love with our Jaiden every day! She is perfect and we couldn't possibly be any happier - ok, if she were home THAT would make us happier! :) We haven't even met yet but her personality shines through already in her eyes and her facial expressions. We can't get enough of that cute button nose and those sweet kiss me now cheeks! Those shining eyes and thick unruly hair! It will be so incredible to meet this child and bring her into our lives. I think she will be bubbles of fun and belly laughs ...or will she will clever and serious? Hmmm...we can only wonder. But we will always treasure her and give thanks for the blessing of having her in our lives.

Jade

The myth of jade

Jade – a gemstone of unique symbolic energy, and unique in the myths that surround it. With its beauty and wide-ranging expressiveness, jade has held a special attraction for mankind for thousands of years.

This gem, with its discreet yet rather greasy lustre, which comes in many fine nuances of green, but also in shades of white, grey, black, yellow, and orange and in delicate violet tones, has been known to Man for some 7000 years. In prehistoric times, however, it was esteemed rather more for its toughness, which made it an ideal material for weapons and tools. Yet as early as 3000 B.C. jade was known in China as yu, the 'royal gem'. In the long history of the art and culture of the enormous Chinese empire, jade has always had a very special significance, roughly comparable with that of gold and diamonds in the West. Jade was used not only for the finest objects and cult figures, but also in grave furnishings for high-ranking members of the imperial family. Today, too, this gem is regarded as a symbol of the good, the beautiful and the precious. It embodies the Confucian virtues of wisdom, justice, compassion, modesty and courage, yet it also symbolises the female-erotic. A visit to the jade market, be it in Hong Kong or Rangoon, or at one of the Hong Kong jade auctions organised by Christie's, can give some idea of the significance this gem has for the people of Asia.

However, as long ago as the pre-Columbian period, the Mayas, Aztecs and Olmecs of Central America also honoured and esteemed jade more highly than gold. New Zealand's Maoris began carving weapons and cult instruments from native jade in early times, a tradition which has continued to the present day. In ancient Egypt, jade was admired as the stone of love, inner peace, harmony and balance. In other regions and cultures too, jade was regarded as a lucky or protective stone; yet it had nowhere near the significance that it had in Asia, which was presumably due to the fact that people knew relatively little about this fascinating gem. Fortunately however, in recent times, people's understanding of this gem, which fascinates not only the connoisseurs by its perfect interplay of hardness and toughness with an enchanting range of colours and fine lustre, has improved; and their esteem for it has been on the increase all over the world.

What is jade?

'Jade', or yu, as it is called in China, is strictly speaking a generic term for two different gems, nephrite and jadeite. The name is derived from the Spanish piedra de ijada, loin-stone, jade having been recognised by the Amerindians as a remedy for kidney ailments. Because of its beneficial effect on the kidneys, the stone was also known as lapis nephriticus. That, indeed, is where the term 'nephrite' came from.

Jadeite and nephrite are both regarded in China as zhen yu, 'genuine jade'. It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that mineralogists and gemmologists started to differentiate between them, since they bear a considerable resemblance to each other in terms of their appearance, their hardness and the properties they exhibit when being processed. Both are tough, since they consist of dense, close-grained, matted aggregates, but they differ from one another in their chemical composition and colours. Nephrite ranges mainly from mid to dark green or grey-green, but it can also be white, yellowish or reddish. Rarer, and somewhat tougher, jadeite displays hues which include green, but also white or pink, and reds, blacks, browns and violets. In both minerals, the way the colour is distributed varies a great deal. Only in the very finest jade is the colour evenly distributed. Both nephrite and jadeite often have veins, blemishes and streaks running through them, though these may not always be regarded as flaws. On the contrary, some of these patterns are considered particularly valuable.

Jade: from raw material to finished product

Jadeite is rarer than nephrite and is therefore regarded as more precious. Nephrite deposits have been found in China, New Zealand, Russia, Guatemala and the Swiss Alps. Dark green jade, so-called Canada jade, is also found in Western Canada. Jadeite is found in China, Russia and Guatemala, but the best stones come from Burma, now known as Myanmar. There, at the annual 'Gems, Jade and Pearls Emporium', blocks of jade in all sizes are auctioned. When purchasing the raw materials, the dealers need to be fairly lucky, since the nodules, blocks and fragments are sold either whole or after having been cut into slices, and there is only a very small window, the result of some initial grinding. So the buyer cannot see exactly what is hidden on the inside: valuable green jade, or an almost worthless, speckled or streaky material. It is not until the cutting process begins that the real quality is revealed.

In the jade-cutting centres of Canton, Beijing and Hong Kong, the raw material is processed with carborundum and diamond powder. Since jade is, as a rule, not transparent, but has a fine lustre, the cabochon is the form best suited to it. Thin slivers, which can be worn as pendants, and jade bracelets are popular too. Round, cylindrical and flat shapes can be combined to make attractive necklaces. Traditionally, jade is processed into slender figures, filigree images or thin-walled vessels. This is sometimes erroneously referred to as jade carving. Unwanted material is in fact removed during the cutting process, and the stone is subsequently polished. Here once again we see the subtle difference between nephrite and jadeite: whilst polished nephrite has a surface with a resinous lustre, the glassy lustre of jadeite after polishing seems to shine almost like that of a mirror.

What distinguishes good jade?

For collectors as well as jewellery lovers, jade is a fascinating gemstone. In Asia, above all, it is collected as an antique. Besides the quality of the gem and its processing, religion and faith also play an important role. In the West, many people prefer to collect jade in the form of snuff-boxes, cigarette holders, small bowls or rings. Since each collector has his or her own taste and his or her own likings with regard to colour, style and shape, it is no easy matter giving definite advice on the purchase of jade objects.

However, jade is, at the same time, a wonderful gem, not only in its traditional guise, but also in more modern designs. Especially in recent years, creative jewellery and gemstone producers have come up with some wonderful, up-to-date jewellery design, thus sprucing up the image of jade, which had had rather a traditional character for quite some time.

In general, the value of jade is determined according to its colour and the intensity of that colour, the vivacity and texture, and its clarity and transparency. Likings for particular colours vary very considerably from region to region and culture to culture. In green jade alone, the connoisseurs differentiate between seven main qualities, from the intense, even green of imperial jade, via apple green and spinach green, all the way to the lighter and to more heavily speckled shades of green. These special nuances often overlap and can hardly be recognised by the untrained eye. In the USA and Europe, emerald green, spinach green and apple green are regarded as particularly valuable. In the Far East, on the other hand, pure white or a fine yellow with a delicate pink undertone is highly esteemed. In the world of jewellery, the fine violet nuances of lavender jade are very popular. It is however the rare, emerald green of imperial jade, which shines through at the edges, a colour of incredible depth, which fetches the highest prices. Unfortunately, since not only good and natural jade is offered for sale, but often fake or poor-quality products or stones which have been coloured or otherwise treated, it is advisable to buy good jade only from reputable dealers and jewellers, whether the purchase is being made for a collection or as an individual piece of jewellery.

Symbolic energy and beauty, the traditional and the modern are combined in jade in a particularly harmonious way. And in gemstone therapy it is said that jade 'stimulates creativity and mental agility on the one hand, while also having a balancing and harmonising effect.' So this beautiful gemstone brings us joy, vivacity and happiness all at the same time – and what, in our times, could we possibly need more?

Jaiden's Registry

Not sure how to add this link to the sidebar so here is the link to Jaiden's Registry.

Jaiden doesn't have much baby stuff yet, I'd love suggestions on what a baby girl needs! Thank You!

Love from Canada

My Dragonfly secret pal sent Jaiden these adorable gifts last week! They came on the same day as Jaiden's photo but I have been on cloud 9 since then and haven't had a moment to post the photo. Karla, Thank You so very much!!!!

Jaiden's new clothes

Since we found out that Jaiden's current weight is 16 lbs and she has only toddler sized clothing 18mo+, Jared and I took a little shopping trip yesterday. She now has diapers and a few cute things. Baby things are so expensive! We have to start thinking about her first Birthday and Christmas.... which comes right after our trip to China. Cha Ching!

We have been so blessed with the funds to pursue this adoption and I know things will be fine. But for those considering adoption, it does take grace to make it happen. There is nothing we could ever do to deserve this honor of being Jaiden's parents. The cost may be high but the blessings recieved are priceless! Anyone can adopt if they have the heart to adopt - the finances will come if it is meant to happen. Follow your heart and you will be richly blessed.

Jaiden's Hometown

Jaiden currently lives in Tonggu, Jiangxi Province, China. Tonggu, is a small county of 29,000 people under the jurisdiction of Yichun City. Eighty percent of the population are Chinese minority. The county encompasses a small urban area and much rural farm land and mountains. The urban area has several schools, the West Lake Square which hosts community gatherings, a hospital, a sprawling market, two hotels, a social welfare institute, and many apartment buildings, within its boundaries. The Ding Jiang (River) runs directly through town. The rural area includes vegetable farms, expansive rice paddies, bamboo forests and is home to lots of water buffalo.The Tonggu Social Welfare Institute, which houses both children and senior citizens, is run by Director Guo Luosheng. It is a complex of four buildings. Construction of a new facility was begun in 2004 at which time the old building was torn down. As of this writing senior citizens occupy two buildings, the administrative offices occupy another building and the orphanage building is still under construction. Several older special needs children reside at the complex under the care of aunties. All babies are in foster care during the construction.International adoptions began in earnest in 2003, although some children were adopted earlier through Yichun City administration. The first international adoption from Tonggu was in 1995 but domestic adoptions began earlier. Adoptive parents travel to Nanchang, the provincial capital, to complete paperwork and receive their children. Some families visit Tonggu, a 4-hour drive west southwest of Nanchang near the border with Hunan province, through arrangements with their agency or on their own. Families are welcomed by the director and his staff. They are usually treated to a tour of the town and a delicious celebratory meal.

Jaiden's Medical and Developement Report

*Cody made the photo collage for his sister



Name: Tong, Minse "cold" DOB: Dec 20, 2005

Height: 59cm Weight: 5.6kg Head circumference 39cm chest circumference 39cm
normal checkup Heart rate: 106 bpm
result: healthy! test date: April 27, 2006

Developement Report:
She was found on Dec 26, 2005 in front of the orphanage. She was sent in by the local police. We (the orphanage?) named her. Her date of birth is estimated. Her mecial at that time: weight 2.8 kg height 40cm, head 31 cm, chest 31 cm. She entered the orphanage with teh permission from the local Social Welfare Bureau.

She has been healthy without any major sickness. We (The orphanage staff?) visited her foster home every week and provide instruction to the foster mother as to how to raise scenically...? (maybe I could use some instruction on this one too) She has received several immunization shots. She is a lovely child with reddish skin.

At 1 month, she could suck strongly, cry loudly
At 2 month, she could move her arms and legs a lot, liked to watch moving toys
At 3 months, she could raise her head when facing down. her arms andlegs became more flexible, always tried to get toys.
At 4 months, she recognized people she knew, liked the foster mother, turned her face when you called her name, liked to play games with other kids, liked to be outside with the foster mother (that's my girl!)

Her main food is milk with rice cereal at 260 ml each time, 4 meals a day. Normal bowel functions, sleep normal. She gets up at 8:00 am, nap for 2 hours, goes to bed at 9:00 pm.

She has a happy life thanks to the orphanage staff and the foster mother.

Most favorite activities: play with other kids
Most favorite toy: toys that can make sounds

Photos are here!!!!

Mr FexEx is bringing our baby girl to our agency RIGHT NOW - it's currently 6:34 pm in Germany...

8:30 pm She's Here!!! Announcing:
Jaiden Riley Katheleen Klein


Here she is world!!! Isn't she precious! We are sooooo in Love!

Interesting reading about Year of the Rooster

Its a little boring waiting for a photo so in the meantime, here are some interesting reading materials about our chicks.


http://www.usbridalguide.com/special/chinesehoroscopes/Rooster.htm

http://chinese.astrology.com/rooster.html

Jaiden's names

I had the name mispelled on my blog originally - sooo sorry! I wasn't thinking quite clearly yesterday :)

Tong means Copper, Ming means of the people and I have to find out what Se means.

Soon to be known as Jaiden Riley Katheleen

Jaiden means "God has heard"
Ai in China means LOVE
Riley is my Dad's middle name
Katheleen is my Mom's middle name

Somewhere in Jiangxi....

Tong Min Se waits for me!!!

God has heard my prayer and I HAVE A DAUGHTER!!!

Tong Min Se born on Dec 20, 2005 in Jiangxi Province and currently possibly resides in Foster Care.

We will 3 photos tommorrow and finally meet :)

We are overjoyed!!!

Tonight as she sleeps in Jiangxi, someone is watching over her and rocking her to sleep. I hope as she dreams she will be thinking of her family that will soon come. There is a very special family taking care of our little angel right now - please say a special prayer for them as they prepare their hearts to let her go. I can't imagine how difficult that will be. I know once she is placed in my arms I am never going to want to let her go! I will always have a special place in my heart for her birth mother and for her foster family. They gave her the first months of her life and we are so blessed to share in the gift of raising this precious child.

August is here...are we lost in translation???

Referrals are coming in by the droves now - what exactly is a drove??? hmmm not too sure but one agency alone had 44 babies!!! Our agency only has 8.

The first 117b baby has been delivered!!! - with fully translated information. We can only wonder where our daughter is at and when we will get to meet her....Certainly today will be the day!

So how are we doing today....?

We are STILL in labor and STILL no delivery (Induce! Induce! Induce!) It's been wonderful to see the boards come alive with photo updates. The children are beautiful and very healthy. What a blessing!

------> Here's "The Book" that I've been journaling all the important details and thoughts about the adoption in. It is ready and waiting to be filled with the information about our daughter. The scripture on the lower corner says "Ask me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here. Jeremiah 33:3" I had created this spread and decided it just needed something extra so I opened the bible and this verse just jumped out at me.

Sooo...now that the storks have landed this means that after all this time of waiting, our daughter now sits on someones desk back in America waiting for Monday to roll around for them to do their job of getting us that photo! I am beyond annoyed. I've never heard a doctor tell a patient "sorry you can only have your baby during our normal duty hours" (Deep breath, internal scream) ok, so we wait...AGAIN!

Monday Mountain time means that our agency's office does not open until 5pm our time. I'm just guessing, but I don't sense any urgency here...our agency told us yesterday that they THINK that our referral is on its way. So here we are, 3 days from the time that the Stork Alert was given and still no baby! Someday I will look back at this moment and laugh...but right now I just want to see my baby!

*Jared is sporting a peanut butter and jelly mustache -->
(Mei-Mei is Chinese for sister)


Right now I feel like eating an entire Chocolate cow! Where are those referrals???? Guess I'll go read a good book.

She's not ours but the first Dragonfly has landed :)

0800 am Germany time - what great news to wake up to!!! The Stork has landed and the babies are starting to show up!!!

*What this means to us is that the Stork has landed!!!!! Somewhere in the United States our package sits on someones desk. Someday, when our agency decides to send us the information then we will have a daughter too!!!! Wooo Hooo!

Update: 0850 am - Dragonfly baby #2 has been posted!!!

Congratulations Dragonflies!!!!

Also, on the June Jitterbug site:

The first Jitterbug Baby has landed!

They are all so precious!!! I wish I could show them off but the parents are requesting that they not be displayed...anyone wishing to share their babies photo, please contact me and I will gladly add your info to my site.

"Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of His name; make his praise glorious! Psalm 66:1-2"

...and still we wait

It feels like I have been holding my breath for the past two days...or maybe I have been. Ever stince 1400 on Wednesday the feeling of utmost anticipation has been clutching at my heart. Like a tiny fist trying to grab hold of something...anything out there that could bring comfort.

The news on the boards is not answering the big question...so when are the storks going to land? Did they get lost? Stop for a nights rest in some posh European hotel and forget where they were going? Where are they?

I cannot remember it taking this long, but I wasn't on the waiting in either. I was on the bitter, disappointed, wollowing in self pity end. Hmmm not sure yet which is worse. I'm excited for a change but still on guard waiting it out. When can the anticipation turn into full blossomed love? I'm ready for that. The waiting part I can live without.

The Storks are coming! The Storks are Coming!

Heidi made us this sweet picture and posted it on our travel group site today. I love the stork formation flying to us! Thank You So Much! This will go into Jaiden's scrapbook.

Fly Storks! Fly!

117b Travel Group

Here is the 117b line up :) Hopefully will start seeing those babies soon!

Scott and Kim Klein
Spangdahlem, Germany
http://www.adoptionvoyages.com/jaiden.htm

Chet and Dusty Thomas
Dawson, Georgia
http://www.adoptionvoyages.com/Maryjoyce.htm

Jeremy and Marsha Duncan
Roswell, Georgia
http://www.adoptionvoyages.com/Aidyn.htm

Ryan and Nicole Start
Allendale, Michigan

Robin and Chris Byers
Nevada
Congratulations Alivia!!! Our first 117b Baby! 7/31/06

We're having a BABY!!!

The Stork is coming! The Stork is coming!!! Fly Stork Fly!!! First it was a rumor...at 1400 Germany time...and then GWCA confirmed it when they sent out word that the STORK was on his way from China!!!! No updates on the CCAA website yet but rumor has it that only up to Jul 13 was matched :( That totally stinks for our fellow Dragonflies and my heart is aching too. I wish you all could be experiencing this phenomenal feeling that has finally come over us. For too long we have been shielded and it's time to feel a little bit of excitement! My heart is racing and I can hardly breathe...Labor has begun! Can't wait for that precious DELIVERY to arrive.

I will post the Play-by-Play here:

Wednesday, 26 July 2006:

1400 - Rumor Queen Alert! There has been a Stork Alert posting in Europe!

1531 - Dusty sends: I just saw a post in the Comments section on RQ from someone I "know" from the June and July DTC groups, so I know she is with GWCA even though RQ doesn't allow agency names. (She was my secret pal for the June group.) She said her agency just issued the stork alert! This one I KNOW is reliable!!!This is REALLY happening!!!

1700 - the phone rings! OMG! What do I do??? Oh yeah, pick it up ya ninny! It's my friend Heather S. :P Sheeesh! I guess that was a trial run but it almost gave me heart failure. Where is that list of questions? Where is our camera??? Daddy now has the phone in hand and he is prepared :) I cannot talk and when I am emotional I choke up so it will be better if he takes the call...I'll blog the details of course! And take the photos if I can think straight by that time :) What are we forgetting???? Please help us think straight!

2000 - time to wind down and go take a walk...our call is not going to come tonight. It may take several days before it arrives. First the package has to get to Utah and then to Montana and then to Canada and then back to Montana and then all the way to Germany...so the stork will be pretty tired by the time he lands here. There is so much to do and I think I fried our best camera - I left it out in the car in 120 degree heat. GREAT! What a bonehead thing to do.