USA Bound!!

These pics were taken Wed. on the balcony of our hotel room. We were dressed in our patriotic colors for the consulate. I'm not sure if they appreciated the colors or not, but I did have half the office huddled around our window to get a glimpse of our beauty. I'm sure it was completely because of her stiking good looks...and not because she's an absolute clown (and a loud one at that!!) lol... Either way, they seemed to enjoy her and we should get her Visa today! I wish I had a dollar for everytime someone has called my girl a "spicy girl" this trip :) Yep...she is very spicy!!







She started posing for me....twisting and turning in different directions. SO funny!




She wasn't mad...just giving me another angle to photograph :) Very impressive cutting of the eyes though!


Gracie has done great. We haven't had any grieving at all, which concerns me a little. She has been happy ever since the "flip" in Walmart on the first day. She has seemed to settle a little, although I never expect her to be completely calm. I can't wait for the two girls to meet! I am a little concerned for the adjustment period, but after that, I think we'll be great! Wesleigh went to pre-school orientation Wed!! I hated to miss it!
Here's a pic my mom sent me:

Boy do I miss that little teacup!!!

They are both supposed to start Monday, but I'm going to give them a week or two to bond with each other before I send them. I am already so thrilled that I made the call to register them both!! Those 3 mornings a week are going to be HEAVEN!! Wesleigh has done so great while we've been gone! She loves to skype and if one of us is missing when the call starts, she immediately asks where we are. She loves to see Gracie on skype too.

Wesleigh looks so small when I see her in pics and on skype! Gracie outweighs her by about 5 lbs! While we were at the consulate, our guide picked her up (I think just to see how much she weighs!). She could not believe it! Then this random older woman who had been standing there watching us picked her up because she wanted to see :) She groaned and put her down! lol...Gracie didn't mind one bit that some random woman was lifting her.

I can definitely see signs of attachment to us. When she was playing on the playground the last time, she kept looking for us and waving...making sure we were still there. (Funny, since we're the ones having to make sure SHE is still there!) If Richard hugs and/or kisses me, she has to get one for herself. Wesleigh does the same thing...so cute! Last night, Richard popped a "blemish" on my nose and Gracie thought he was being ugly to me. She immediately came to my side and started staring him down. When he gave me a kiss, she started smiling and wanted one for herself.

She is understanding more English, for sure. She knows her English name, she knows the word "sit", and she knows "pick your feet up" (as in, stop dragging them on the dang ground when you're in the stroller!!). I am sure there is alot more, I just haven't seen absolute proof of it. She can count to 3 on her own and repeat the rest. She has started learning the ABC song, and loves for me to sing the "Itsy bitsy Spider" (she does the hand motions). Honestly, I think she will be easier to understand than Wesleigh pretty quick!

Alright...since I'm the only one awake this morning, I'm rambling. I just woke up for the last time in Guangzhou!! As much as I love this city...I am SO ready to leave it!!! I can't get on that plane soon enough! We will take the train to Hong Kong tonight and stay the night there. We then get up the next morning and head for home!!! I can't believe I have only 1 more night in China!! Whoo Hoo!!

We have spent a total of a month in China over the past 2 years! What an experience! One that I never expected to have in my lifetime. We feel so blessed to have been called to add these two sweet girls to our family. I cannot wait to see how everything settles into place. Never in my life did I expect to be the mother of 5!! That number is still overwhelming to me...but I am so blessed!!

I don't think I will be posting again from China, so this is it!! The end of journey #2. Thank you for all of your support and kind comments throughout this trip....they mean so much! I get a huge kick out of sharing our journey with you.

I leave you with this:
If you have ever thought to yourself "I think I would like to adopt" or "I wish I could do that"...DO IT. Nothing worth having in this life is easy. There is nothing more worthwhile that you could do with you resources of time and money. Nothing more rewarding than having another child call you Mama. This journey to Gracie Joy was a journey of faith. It did not make sense in the physical...money was tight...time was tight...I already had four children. I cannot imagine, however, the blessings and joy we would have missed out on had we not listened to the call!

I never want to live my life and at the end of it look back and say "I missed it. I missed the one thing I was supposed to do with my life". If you have not seen the video Richard and I made on adoption for our church, please watch it (It's on my sidebar). It is our heart.

Love you all...Goodbye from China!! See you in the USA!!