Friday,
February 10, 2012
DAY
SEVEN
"Come
and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's
behalf!" Psalm 66:5
"God has a way of using inadequate people, and sometimes
He calls us to reach a little higher or to stretch a
little further, even when we feel we can't do any more. We
simply trust Him. And then, He gives us everything we need
to do the "more" that He is asking of us. When God asked
me to bring another daughter into our family, it didn't
matter that I might burn her toast from time to time. All
that mattered was that I would love her." (Kisses From
Katie pg. 109)
Ahhhh, greetings from Guangzhou! From our 4 room suite at
the Marriott in Guangzhou! (Yeah, it's really nice!) And
it feels good to be back!
Ok, I'm going to start this post by saying that we have
the PERFECT baby. Yes, we really do. However, she has one
MAJOR fault. She missed the memo about how her family
loves to take photos. Especially photos of darling baby
girls! Sadly, not only does she not pose or look at the
camera. but her entire demeanor actually changes when the
camera is out. It's like she shuts down. Her face gets
blank, she hangs her head and her eyes look down. It is
really almost unbelievable the change that occurs. It's
almost funny. But I'm not laughing. And she is SMART. No
matter how sneaky we are, she KNOWS when that camera is
nearby. So, we are REALLY lacking with the photos this
trip. And Em, I am TRYING. You will see how she is when we
get home.
We slept in this morning and actually had to hurry to
breakfast before the buffet ended at 10:00. Hard to
believe that less than a week ago, we were WAITING for the
buffet to open at 6:30. So, I guess we're fully on China
time now!
After breakfast, we came back to the room and Bill napped
most of the morning, as he's not been feeling very well.
What started as a cold earlier in the week before we left,
has not improved and has now turned into something more.
While Bill slept, Ellie busied herself all morning playing
with bags ~ filling them with small oranges and snacks,
dumping it all out, and then repeating the process all
morning long. I am THRILLED to have a little one who
entertains herself so well! I worked on packing and was
able to spend a little time on the computer. I also worked
hard to capture Ellie's cuteness with the camera, but
alas, my results are less than stellar, even though she
was all smiles throughout the morning.
At 2:00 we met our guide in the lobby and headed to the
airport. Somehow, even though we are traveling light this
trip, we had 1 too many bags to check, and 2 bags that
were overweight. Sheesh. Our guide did some negotiating
and we didn't have to pay an overage charge, BUT we could
only check the two overweight bags and they were going to
charge a fee for the 3rd bag. Our guide told us not to
check the 3rd bag, she'd find someone who was underweight
and have them check it for us. So, I assumed it would be a
Chinese person, as they always seem to travel lighter than
we Americans. But NO! It was another adoptive family that
helped us out! I couldn't believe it~ and we sure are
thankful for their help!
Our sweet girl did GREAT on her first flight. She snuggled
into mama, and her beautiful brown eyes closed at takeoff
and did not open 'til we hit the ground! Have I mentioned
what a good baby she is?
We got into our hotel room about 8:30 PM and Ellie hadn't
eaten since her lunch at noon. Not a fuss, not a whine.
She is SO flexible. But, first thing I did upon checking
in was to get her fed and then into a quick bath. THIS
time she loved her bath and was splashing and laughing out
loud in the tub. And the minute Bill came in with the
camera, the laughing ended and "the look" came upon her
face. Sigh....
After we got the princess tucked in, Bill ran next door
and picked up McDonald's for our dinner. What can I say?
It was close and convenient!
Ellie, really has turned a corner today. Each morning when
she woke up, she'd just lay in her crib silently and look
around until I would pick her up. When I'd get to the
crib, she'd look at me rather blankly. But this morning,
she woke up chattering and when I came over to the crib,
she smiled and reached up to me! Earlier in the week if I
would set Ellie down, she'd simply sit or stand right
where I set her and cry. Now, when she's not in my arms,
she's busy exploring her world! Also, now smiles and
giggles come frequently (except when a camera is out) and
not just when in mama's arms. The one area where she
hasn't improved is with her Daddy. Crying or the cold
shoulder are still her responses to him at this point. So
PLEASE do pray for that. I've been in those shoes before,
and it's not a fun place to be. Especially when you're
already not feeling 100% physically. Bill "knows" in his
head why this can happen, but I must say, it's getting a
bit old now. And as much as I love holding our baby girl
in my arms, they are getting a bit weary!
Before I end tonight, I want to thank you all for
following along on our journey and for your kind and very
gracious comments in our guestbook. I am sorry not to be
able to answer each of you individually, but I wanted each
of you to know that every comment is read, treasured, and
GREATLY appreciated. It is so comforting to hear of your
prayers and encouragement each day. Thank you so very
much. |
Walking to Breakfast
Beautiful!
Playing While Mama Packs
We Caught One Smile!
Leaving a Bus to Board Our Flight |
