Happy Birthday Jack!

Wishing Jack a very Happy 8th Birthday!!

We love you Jack-a-roo!!!! Sending love from Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Anna's FIRST Birthday Party...

Happy Birthday Anna!

On Friday, November 9th, Anna had her very first birthday party. She was looking very cute, as usual and was oh, so rotten. She was loving her freedom to roam the room and my, my how she can work a crowd!

Anna can cast her spell on anyone. Just a smile, hug or the big guns, a kiss, to get her way.

Anna loving her Uncle Rick.

We used the "Red Thread" Chinese proverb to tie all the pictures of Anna from birth in China until now with us.

We had friends and family gather to help us celebrate Anna's first and second birthday. For us, it was not just a birthday party, but also a celebration of Anna being home and being a part of our family. Anna was more than friendly with all the guests. She was giving hugs and kisses to anyone who would show her attention. I don't think that she understood that the fuss was all about her. She just wanted the person that was holding her at the time to give her 110% of their attention.

Knowing Momma and Daddy won't let her touch the paper lanterns, she just moves to the next person who will...Anna with my cousin Janel.

She would walk around the room chasing the other kids in attendance or would walk up to the adults and let them know, in not so many words, that she wanted to be held. Everyone was more than willing to accommodate her wishes. As I expected, the whole gift thing was not her idea of fun. People were so kind and generous and she was totally content playing with the party decorations. So, I opened the gifts for her and she flicked a little piece of red shredded paper.

It's a family tradition with all the kids..."swing swong" with Uncle Pa Bobby

Anna had a blast, as did all the other kids I think. I know my boys did. All the cousins don't get to be together very often. They may get to be with Jack or Harris, but seldom do the boys, Jack, Harris and Caroline get to be together at the same time. Plus, some of our extended family was there as well with their kids.

I really feel old when my kids are hiding out in the corner listening to music instead of playing like all the other kids. Reason #5,287 Issac is cool - he brought his iPod.

We got home Friday night around 11:00 pm, totally zonked and I was ready for bed! But, we had all the left over food, presents and kids still running wide open to contend with. Saturday was going to be a full day again, so we got the kids in bed asap and passed out!

Parker's "brother Caleb" and one of Anna's #1 fans, Courtney.

There will never be a good picture of all of us...too much action!

Saturday morning, Anna's birthday, we had to go to Jacob's basketball game. Rodney was hunting and I was feeding Anna and Parker. Parker wanted a little play set opened, which I did, and he began to play. After I fed Anna, she got up and went to play with him. She walked around and packed a little puppy that came with the set. I was getting things ready for Carter and Jacob and I noticed Anna digging through the gift bags. A few minutes later, I notice she is sitting on the bottom step playing, with the puppy I think. As I walk closer to her, I notice the puppy is now on the floor. As I get closer, I see she found one of those pieces of paper in the gift bags, ditched the dog, and is now flicking the paper yet again. I know what Anna is getting for Christmas...boxes of shredded paper ;-)

We went to the Y for Jacob's basketball game and then stayed afterwards and played with the kids. After leaving the Y, we ate lunch and came home to put the babies down for a nap. Anna was totally exhausted. She took a good, long nap. I tried to straighten the mess from the night prior and put together Anna's little piano from her Nanny and Pa Ronald. When she woke up, we all played with Anna and got pizza for dinner (of course Anna won't eat pizza, so it was more the "party factor" for the boys) and ate MORE cake. This time, Anna actually ate some. Only fitting I suppose...the party wasn't actually on her birthday, so she saved her first cake tasting for her real birthDAY.

She knows when she is doing something cute and a perfect photo opp.

I don't know why, but she puts that foot up on the keys almost everytime she plays.

Sometimes it is very, I know this sounds cliche, but surreal to be where we are now. Just thinking how things were just 1 year ago. Knowing where Anna was and where she is now is just really unbelievable sometimes. There are times that I am just trying to keep the laundry somewhat caught up, get dinner on the table and take care of my 4, 5 if you count Rodney :-), kids. Then there are these moments, "I can't believe she is really here...we have a daughter from China...this really happened." I knew when we started this that God would finish it, but looking back, it is just amazing to me HOW God made it happen. It wasn't the way that I wanted, but it was perfect and in His timing, not mine. For whatever reason, things needed to occur the way that they did, and I couldn't be happier.

I had someone tell me just yesterday as they were commenting on how lovely Anna was, that she was a very lucky little girl. I responded that Rodney and I were the lucky ones.

Big birthday party, busy birthday morning, one tired little girl.

Excited about the upcoming holiday season and sending love from Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker and Anna.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!!

Twelve months ago in China
There was no birthday song
No candle on a little cake
For I was all alone

Not knowing any different
In the life that I had
Every day like the day before
Without my mom or dad

There was no festive party
For my first birthday
With ones who loved me
That were half a world away

But this year is oh so different
From just a year ago
My daddy, mommy and brothers
Who I now love and know

They will sing a little tune
Never sang to me before
I am their treasured daughter
Couldn’t be loved anymore

So celebrate with me this year
On my special day, it’s true
I’m home with my family now
And I am turning TWO!

With many hugs & kisses,

Daddy, Mommy, Carter,

Jacob & Parker

Anna is TWO!

My First Look...

It was one year ago today, November 6, 2006, that I revisited a waiting child list to see if a little girl, the agency called "Maizie" had been matched. I had visited this waiting child list the day before through a series of "mistakes". I had talked to Rodney about the possibility of pursuing a special needs adoption, but was still just trying to educate myself on what "Special Needs" actually entailed. From an adoption yahoo group, I had read a post regarding a new list of children with special needs. I went back to find the post to go take a peek at the children....I couldn't find it. So I did a search on the yahoo group, found a post that I "thought" was the one I had read a few days prior, contacted the author of the post and asked for the info to view the list. Being a bit confused, she responded to my post with the waiting child list address and password. In reading her message, I discovered that the post that I had read, mistakenly thinking it was the one I read before, was dated February of 2004. Apologizing for my absent mindedness, I decided to go ahead and visit this list.

I took a peek at several of the children on the list. One little girl that I just thought had the sweetest little face. She had a repaired cleft lip and was standing with a little pair of "jellies" on her feet. The next morning, a year ago today, I got up to see if she had been matched. I opened the list and checked her status. Then I noticed just below her name was a name that I had not noticed before. "Novie", the name reminded me of my grandmother and aunt...Tavie and Wavie, I know, funny names :-) But there aren't alot of names ending in "vie", and that is what I thought of. So I clicked on her name.

The file opened with a picture of a little girl, whose cleft lip was unrepaired but was almost unnoticeable because her eyes captivated me. My heart leaped. I felt excited and nauseated in the same moment. What was I feeling? Why was I getting so emotional? For the remainder of the day, I couldn't stop thinking of her. I kept going back to the site to "check" on her. As the day went on, I kept thinking "This is her, this is my daughter."

The first picture of Hai Zhi Yi, "Novie"

I couldn't mention her to Rodney. I was nervous. What was I going to say? That night I went to bed, with "Novie" on my mind and heavy on my heart. I laid there and prayed that if this was the child that God had laid on my heart, that He was let me know, undoubtedly and if not, then take the burden of this child off my mind and heart. I went to sleep.

The next morning, I opened my eyes, "Novie". I ran upstairs and looked at her picture yet again. I knew she was mine. I showed Rodney her picture, explained my feelings and the fact that I believed this was the child that God had for our family.

A chain of events and 7 months later, we met this little girl, "Novie", aka Hai Zhi Yi, aka Anna Mei Yi Gross, my daughter. I cannot imagine our lives without this little girl. I know that this is the child that God burdened me with a year before I ever saw her.

So as I go to her room this morning, pick her up from her bed, change her diaper and give her kisses, and start another very busy day, I know that I am a blessed woman.

I've been looking at your face for 1 year today...You just get prettier everyday!

So incredibly happy to be where I am, ecstatic for Anna to be where she is and sending love from Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker and Anna.

October???

Wow! I cannot believe it has been a month since my last post. I love writing and it is quite therapeutic for a stay at home mother whose adult conversations are few and far between...however, with 2 toddlers at home, 2 in school, a business ran out of the home, 2 starting basketball, getting the house ready to put on the market, hosting a Halloween party, planning a birthday party, plus all the demands of "normal" day to day, I have no clue where October has gone?!?

First, Anna is doing great. She is just as rotten as they come and she knows exactly what to do to get what she wants...or at least TRY to get what she wants! She has the pitiful crying, with no tears, down to a science. As soon as someone picks her up, miraculously the crying stops. She knows what she can do and what she is not suppose to do. She tries and sometimes succeeds in sneaking up the stairs. If she is caught, she will slowly start to descend, knowing she is in trouble. She also has started getting into the drawers of her chest. She will clean out the bottom two drawers, throwing clothes over her shoulder and never looking back. I have caught her a number of times and now, if she is doing it and hears me, she will jump up, run away from the chest and lay down on the floor...almost like, "I didn't do that, I was laying right here the whole time." Yes, she is in training for her "terrible twos".

She is still not verbalizing anymore than she was two months ago. She is making a few different sounds, but not trying to mimic any words. Anna's eating just keeps improving. She is eating more "table" foods. Still nothing with a lot of texture or big pieces, but she loves mashed potatoes, black eyed peas, beans, chicken noodle soup with crackers crumbled and grits...yes, grits.

Can you see the little double chin??? Yes, she is my daughter :-)

I had never eaten grits my entire life, and actually thought they were gross. But, we went on a little weekend excursion while the boys were on Fall Break to Gatlinburg, TN. While enroute, we stopped to eat breakfast and I tried to find something on the menu that I thought she would eat. Normally, she will eat oatmeal in the mornings and I knew that grits had that same consistency, so I ordered them. She ate grits every morning we were gone and has since eaten 2 boxes. Much to my surprise, they are actually pretty good. Kind of sweet and just a hint of a corn taste, but not gross at all. We have joked that she is definitely a little southern girl now since she loves her grits!

Kiss My Grits!

We go for her first consultation on November 20 in Louisville, KY. She will see a whole host of doctors. We expect to be there all day. I really dread the whole process, but am anxious to get it started at the same time. We expect to get the timeline of treatment for her surgery on that date. She has adjusted really well and I think that Anna feels safe with us for sure, so hopefully it will not cause any set backs.

Anna had her first Halloween with a party and trick or treating. We had some family and friends over the Saturday before Halloween for a costume party and then Anna and the boys went trick or treating on Wednesday. However, I really don't know if it would constitute as really trick or treating since we only went to one place. Anna has had a runny nose and cough as well as Parker, so I really didn't feel comfortable with getting them out in the first place, but Parker, Jacob and Carter really wanted to go. So they got dressed up and we went to Rodney's parents. Carter was a "skater", Jacob was a "Optimus Prime" at the costume party and then a "military man" for trick or treating. I don't know if the Transformer costume had just been done, so he wanted something else for Wednesday or what, but he refused to wear it again...so we were trying to come up with something to appease him 30 minutes before we left. Parker was "Darth Vader" and Anna was a "spider".

The cutest little spider - EVER!

Probably, the youngest true Star Wars fan. He knows everything about every movie and has since he was 2.

The Wild Crew...they never all cooperate for a picture

Anna's birthday party is this Friday night, so hopefully I will have some really good pictures to post from the party. She has the "cutest" little dress to wear...sorry, but that sort of thing excites me :-)

I will try to do better about posting. So sorry to all you who faithfully check only to be disappointed!

All she had to do to get her way

Loving this great fall weather in Kentucky and sending love from Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker and Anna.

Another Blessing...

Okay, I have given plenty of time for the news to be spread by the rightful "spreaders", so I think it is my time to announce that Anna has a new baby cousin....from China!!!

Seriously, how cute is she???

On August 23, 2007, my cousin, her husband and her son received the news that they had been matched with a baby girl - Qing Zu Qiao - which they will name Salem Cassidy ZuNei. She is from the same province as Anna, Guangdong. They are only 1 month and 16 days apart and both were born with cleft palates. Fortunately Cassi did not have a cleft lip at birth and because of her fragile state when she arrived at the orphanage was able to be enrolled in the Love Without Boundaries program and her palate was repaired in China. Obviously when she gets home, they will have her evaluated for any future procedures or corrective surgeries, but we pray that everything was done correctly, healed properly and minimal will have to be done.

Gina, my cousin, is still in the "paper chasing" phase of the process, but they are making good progress. Their home study is finished and have the majority of the paperwork needed other than that precious I-797-C / I-171-C. Basically the US Homeland Security or Immigration saying they can bring a foreign born orphan into the country. We are hoping that they can be DTC by Thanksgiving, which is very possible.

We are just ecstatic about Gina and Richie's adoption and cannot wait to get Cassi home. What a cool thing for Anna to have a family member soooo similar to her in so many aspects. What great friends and support they can be to each other. It truly is another blessing from God.

We prayed for our daughter, but in the journey to Anna, we prayed for so many other children that were/are in need of a loving home. We also prayed for God to move on hearts of those that could care for these children. For us, this is an answer to one of our prayers. And fortunately, we get to not only see an answer to our prayer, but we get to be related!!! How awesome is that??

Anna and Cassi will be able to give each other something that neither Gina or I can give our daughters...the ability to truly relate. I can sympathize with Anna, try to understand her questions and the pain that she will experience when she begins to wonder "why?", but I will not be able to relate to the many questions and feelings she will have regarding her birth family, her birth country, and the fact that there are so many things about her history that we just don't know. But, she will have a close family member that can say, "me too." I hope that they are a great support system for each other and and work through these questions together. God is so good. God's timing is perfect and His plans are complete. I wonder what else He has in store for our family...only time will tell :-)

So incredibly happy for Gina and Richie, and sending love from Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker and Anna to Cassi!