A Christmas Weekend to Remember

Oh what a weekend we've had so far! Olivia is discovering Christmas with new eyes this year. Eyes filled with wonderment and excitment! With every passing tree that is adorned with lights she yells out "Christmas Tree" and each jolly person in red becomes "Santa"!









Last night Olivia participated in her very first Christmas program with her preschool. Her little group sang about 8 songs. And though Olivia sang at the top of her lungs in the car on the way to the program, and in the car on the way home, she didn't sing at all during the program! Instead, she stared out at the audiance, longing I think for it to be over! At the end of the performance, all the kids sat down and each one was asked what they wanted for Christmas. My girl came to life and into the microphone she stated, "Mom"! What a moment for mom!









Tonight we bundled up and ventured into downtown Mpls to watch the Holidazzle Parade! As I was sitting on the street curb, watching the parade of lights pass us by, I thought "how crazy is this state to have a parade in what feels like the dead of winter!" (I think it was about 23 degrees). But you know what? It was awesome, and Olivia was amazed at all the passing lights. She waved at each float as it went by. After the parade we found coffee and tea and it was one of those nights that made me appreciate this place called home even more!





Tomorrow we get to attend the Christmas program at Grandpa's church. Oh what a Christmas weekend to remember! Oh what a Christmas to remember! How blessed we are to be able to see it through our children's eyes.

Olivia Sparkles!

Olivia sparkles. From the moment she became a part of our family, a little over a year ago, Olivia has sparkled. But I don’t think it started in that moment. I think it started the moment she was created. In fact, I think God creates us all to sparkle, it’s up to us to decide whether we will live the way He created us to live.

Olivia sparkles. This fall we celebrated her third birthday. It was her first birthday with us. We also celebrated the anniversary of our first year together. Additionally, we celebrated our first Thanksgiving with our larger family and as each event comes and goes, I become more and more awed at what an amazing little girl God has blessed us with. She brings laughter and joy wherever she goes. In fact, she kind of takes over any room she is in! “I’m here” she seems to proclaim, “Let the party begin”!



Olivia sparkles. Who would have ever thought one little girl, from so far away, could bring so much life and love to a family?

Mommy wants to sparkle too. I want to live with the joy and abandonment that I see Olivia living, no matter what the obstacle. Olivia has endured and overcome much. And yet she never stopped sparkling. I pray as we begin this Christmas season, that you will experience some of the sparkling joy and childlike excitement that is so present in Olivia, and in all of our children.



Mommy bought Olivia a very sparkly dress for Christmas. I think I’m going to go out and buy one for myself too!

Lessons from an almost 3 year old...

So I’m learning some pretty good lessons from my almost 3 year old. When you want something really bad, throw a tantrum. O.K., just kidding. That’s probably not the best lesson. But there is something to be said for throwing your head back and doing a little pounding and kicking every now and then!

Thankfully, my almost 3 year old doesn’t tantrum very much. Instead she pouts and I was already really good at that one. So let’s get to the good lessons.

Lesson One: When my almost 3 year old see’s the people she loves she gets so excited she either does a little happy dance, or she throws something as she just can’t contain her glee (Again, the throwing maybe not such a great idea…but you get the picture)! And then when that same person disappears for a moment (e.g., a trip to the potty) she says “uh oh, no no”. She not only loves her people inwardly, she displays that love and affection outwardly. Some of us as adults are pretty good at showing people how much we care about them. I must admit, I’m not always so good and need to become better.

Lesson Two: My almost 3 year old laughs, and laughs and laughs. In fact, sometimes she’s the only one in on the joke! But oh, what a precious lesson. When did we as adults become so guarded and cautious? Why is it sometimes so hard for us to just be silly? Yes, I know we have responsibilities and life is sometimes very hard. But we were created to LIVE life, and to live it abundantly! Not to just somehow wander through it. In our break room the other day at work, when asked how her day was going I heard a woman say, “I’m hanging in there, that’s about all we can ask for I guess.” NO! We can ask for more! I know I need to laugh more. I need to throw my head back and laugh until my belly hurts!

Lesson Three: My almost 3 year old loves spiders, lizards and all creepy crawling things. Alright, not really a lesson here either but its FREAKIN’ ME OUT! Maybe there is a lesson here, when did I become such a scare-dy cat?? Come to think of it, my almost 3 year old will try just about anything and everything. Now thankfully, she has a mommy to tell her when she needs to NOT try something (!) but think about it. Remember when the world and all things in it were cool and worth exploring? When did that change? I know for some, it hasn’t changed and those of you who are still out there exploring and trying new things, I am in awe of you!

I'm excited to see what my almost 3 year old will teach me next. Stay tuned...

Parents everywhere....I salute you!

So I’m pretty sure most parents would agree that their children are the most amazing children in the world. And I’m pretty sure each one of those parents is absolutely right. In fact, I think it’s one of the gifts God gives to parents…the ability to see their children the way He sees them. We see the sweet and tender side, we see the goofy, silly side, and at times we see the naughty side. Yet no matter what side our children are displaying at that moment, they never cease to amaze us. And we love them.

I feel as if I’ve been doing this parenting thing for such a short amount of time compared to most who will read this. And many of you may have gone through some pretty tough trials and tribulations with your children. And I would guess there are moments, or days or months that you would like to erase from your memory. Maybe hardships you wish your children didn’t have to go through. Or hardships your children brought into your life due to decisions they made. But whatever has happened, or whatever will happen, you see your children like no one else can, and you love your children like no one else can.

Olivia and I have only been mother and daughter for 10 months and though I know almost nothing about the first two years of her life, I know much about who my daughter is. I know that she loves to laugh and that her laugh is infectious! I know her heart is good and full of empathy and gentleness. I know she is determined to get words out when her little mouth is preventing her from doing so. And I know I am going to do everything in my power as her mom, to help her to continue to grow and experience life and love. What an amazing gift it is to be a parent.



I never knew how hard it would be to be a parent. And I also never knew how your heart just changes when you become a parent. It becomes softer, squishier, and more willing to change for the good of your child. I think I am learning what it means to love unconditionally.

And I salute all parents out there who already know this and live this. YOU are amazing.

I want to leave you with the words to a Michael Card song from one of Olivia’s cd’s. It brings a reminder of those who watch over our children as they sleep and I think it brings peace whether your child is 3 or 23.

”Oh, unseen warriors, brothers, friends. Who for our safety we depend. I ask you now to come defend, this precious little baby.
I know you’ve been here all along. And will remain her whole life long. But with this simple childish song, I ask you, guard this baby.
Sometimes at night she will awaken. Let her not feel fear forsaken. To every saint your visit paid, you always said, 'Don’t be afraid'."

1st Speech Evaluation

After a WONDERFUL six month period with NO doctor’s visits, we once again headed down to St. Paul to see Olivia’s cleft surgeon. There is the possibility that she will need a 2nd palate surgery to correct some structural issues with her palate that may be affecting her speech.

She is not doing much talking yet but she sure can belt out some good sounds! Sometimes I think she’s actually just talking in another language, German or Japanese maybe? Oddly, it doesn’t sound at all Chinese!

The surgeon determined that she is not speaking enough yet to make a decision about a 2nd surgery and so she will be starting weekly speech therapy with the cleft team through Gillette next week. The speech therapist who did who her initial speech evaluation wrote, “Olivia has a delay in her expressive language skills and her speech production skills. At this time, her resonance has a hypernasal quality and nasal emissions were heard during attempts to imitate single words” (this hypernasal quality is something not uncommon for children with cleft palate and oftentimes is a red flag for additional palate surgery).

The speech therapist also recommended we initiate speech therapy through the school district at this time (in addition to the care she’ll receive at Gillette). So we’ve scheduled an initial visit with the school system and they will be sending out a speech pathologist, the school nurse and an early intervention specialist right after Labor Day. In addition to evaluating Olivia’s speech needs, they’ll do a development evaluation on her.

It all seems a wee bit overwhelming, but at the same time I’m happy that this part of our “cleft journey” has begun! I’m so looking forward to hearing Olivia begin to enunciate words. Even though she can’t talk much yet, she sure can communicate. I often get the “I’m bored” look or the “I’m not going to listen to you” look. And it’s amazing how well she can say “NO!”

In 6 months, we’ll once again return to her surgeon and determine next steps at that time.





It's hard to believe summer is quickly drawing to a close. It's been so much fun to watch Olivia try new things, make new friends and explore all that is wonderful about MN in the summer!

Blessings to you!

A lesson in fear and contentment...

My daughter woke up at 4:30 this morning crying. It wasn’t an “I’m uncomfortable” cry, instead it was a scared cry or a sad cry, I’m not sure which. We rocked for a little while, read a couple of books by the light of the nightlight and got a drink of water. Then I laid her back down in her bed and covered her with her soft blankie. She lay on her side, holding onto her favorite book and closed her eyes as I rubbed her back. She fell easily back to sleep with a smile on her beautiful little face.

As I walked back to my own room, I was a little in awe at the peace and contentment I saw on her face as she was falling back to sleep. From the moment she was brought into my life, I’ve been praying that she would feel safe, that she would learn to trust and that she would know how much she is loved. I thank God for answering that prayer.





And then I started thinking more about the contentment and peace that was so evident in her countenance. She woke up feeling scared or sad and what did she do? She cried out. Her mama came into her room and comforted her and soon she was laughing and contentedly falling asleep once again. She knows she is safe and taken care of. She knows she is loved. She trusts me. So I thought to myself, “How many times do I wake up in the middle of the night feeling sad or scared?” For me as an adult, it generally takes the form of anxiety and the “worry thoughts” sometimes keep me from falling back to sleep. So what is keeping me from crying out to my heavenly Father and allowing Him to comfort me? We have this God who tells us over and over and over in His Word not to worry. “I’ve got it all under control! Trust Me! I love you to pieces and will ALWAYS take care of you!”

If I could truly understand what that meant, if I could truly trust Him, I think I too could fall asleep with a smile on my face.



“But blessed are they who TRUST in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” Jeremiah 17:7-8a

So many "firsts"!

It's been a Spring and Summer full of "firsts" for Olivia. Her first ice cream cone, her first Merry-Go-Round, her first concert, her first visit to the zoo, her first wedding, her first road trip and her first graduation parties!


It turns out she loves everything that is summer...including playing in the dirt, playing in the water and playing with rocks.

It's so fun to see life through her eyes. She is so full of joy and laughter and she has a way of making everyone around her enjoy life too. Thank you Little O!

Six months ago...

Dear Olivia,
Six months ago I saw you for the first time and was amazed at how beautiful you are. Six months ago I held you for the first time and prayed that you would feel safe. Six months ago I fed you for the first time and you ate all that I offered. Six months ago I changed your clothes for the first time and you laughed. Six months ago I put you to bed for the first time, and then I stayed awake all night, watching you sleep. Six months ago my life and your life changed dramatically. Six months ago I became your mom, and you became my daughter.

I knew our lives would change, but I had no idea how much you would change me. I had no idea that I would see myself more clearly because I was a mom. I had no idea that I would want to become a better person, so that I could become a better mom. I had no idea that you would teach me what it means to love unconditionally. I had no idea that because of you, I would see God more clearly. I had no idea that He would use you to sanctify me. I had no idea that I could love one little person, so very much.

God gave me the most amazing gift when He put you in my arms six months ago. It’s been six months my sweet girl. We have so much more to learn about each other, and I can’t wait.

I love you very much,
Mom

Pray without ceasing!

So just last weekend, I was telling my bible study group that since becoming a mom, I’ve lost the spiritual disciplines that had once been such an important part of my life. And I have NO GOOD reason for it, I just prefer to plop in front of the t.v. or go to bed after putting Olivia down for the night ‘cause I’m just plain tired at the end of the day! So no more was I reading my bible, no more was I praying on a daily basis, no more was I getting my bible study done.

So guess how God is getting my attention? Through my daughter. The one thing I have been trying to be more regular about lately is getting into the practice of prayer before meals. Olivia folds her hands, smiles while I do the praying, and then when we’re done sometimes says “AMEN!” Well this past week, my sweet daughter has been folding her hands at the beginning of the meal, reminding me that we need to pray. She also folds her hands about ¼ of the way through the meal, reminding me that we need to pray some more. And most meals, she folds her hands a third time towards the end of the meal, reminding her mommy that we are to “Pray without ceasing!” (1 Thess 5:17)

God knew what He was doing when He gave me THIS little girl.




I’m attaching some photos of our first Valentines weekend together. We had a very special visitor (Uncle John joined us for the weekend), we went to the Children’s Museum with Sara and Molly, and ate lots of food (still one of Olivia’s very favorite things to do, though she is becoming more particular about what she’ll eat!)

3 weeks post surgery...

....and Olivia is doing great! After two weeks of full liquids, and then one week of soft foods, she got to progress to a normal diet today. Life is good! Her little mouth is healing wonderfully according to her surgeon, and each day she is drooling less and less! She hasn't quite figured out how to keep her tongue in her mouth yet though, ever since the surgery it seems to hang out quite often. I guess with no more hole in her mouth, she's having problems figuring out where it goes?!

We go back to the surgeon and also have a speech therapy evaluation in 6 months. They're hoping she will have developed some speech by then, and will determine at that time whether the 2nd palate surgery is needed. She's trying so hard to say words. She'll concentrate on your mouth as you speak to her, and then try to do the same thing. So far, the only thing that comes out are little sounds.

Even though her speech is delayed, her comprehension is amazing! As of tomorrow, we will have been together for 3 months and already she seems to understand most of what I say to her. This morning on the way to daycare, she took her shoe off while in her carseat. I looked back and said, "Olivia, where did you put your shoe?" She smiled and pointed to the floor of the car, the exact spot her shoe landed.



I'm attaching a photo taken on my cell phone the morning she was discharged from the hospital. It's a little fuzzy but you can tell she was ready to go!!

Successful Surgery!

Just a quick note to let you know we are home and Olivia is doing well! Surgery went very well, and just 12 hours later Olivia ate not just one, but 3 puddings. The night nurse said she's never seen a child eat so well post op...especially one with stitches throughout her palate! She's eating well, drinking well, and even blowing kisses again. They sent us home with soft restraints for her arms (to keep her hands out of her mouth) which we have to use at bedtime when she's not supervised. Tonight at bedtime, after we rocked for a little while I said, "Olivia, I'm sorry sweetie but we have to put these on again". The little angel held out her arms for me to put them on. What an amazing kid she is!

Thank you for praying for her!

Green light for surgery

Olivia received a good bill of health yesterday. The doctor said the only thing that would stop surgery is the development of a high fever. But that's not gonna happen!

Surgery is scheduled for 10am tomorrow morning (the 19th). Thanks again for your love and prayers.

Karis

My First American Bug!

No, my mom didn't buy me a Volkswagen....I got sick! Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, Olivia here! I'm getting better and better at my computer skills and so far have only pulled one key off my mom's keyboard.



So last weekend, I got this yucky stomach bug (I even gave it to my mom! She said she hasn't been that sick since she drank a little water in Mexico!) and it's kind of a bummer that it's been almost a week and I still have it. Mom's had to keep me home lots this week so I miss my friends at daycare.

Grandpa's been coming to play with me lots since I couldn't go to daycare. He's fun to lock in the closet :)



Tomorrow I go see my doctor and he'll tell me whether I'm healthy enough to have my surgery next Monday. Mom said to ask you to please pray that I will be over this, so we can have my surgery and I can get all better and eat hot dogs and hamburgers!

Mom says there's lots of people out there praying for me....we say our prayers at night for you too! I can even fold my hands and say AMEN!

Love,
Olivia

End of the year musings...

Happy almost 2009 from Karis and Olivia! It was my father who kept saying at the beginning and during the middle of 2008, "it's going to happen this year (meaning the adoption), it's going to happen this year". After already waiting for 3 years and the slow movement in the world of adoption, I had no hopes for a little girl in 2008. I was looking at 2009 and beyond. When will I learn to "trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean NOT on my own understanding"?! Thank you to all who prayed diligently over the years for this little girl to arrive.



Arrive she did....and with a BANG! Each day she does something new and amazing. The other night towards the end of our meal, she decided to see if she could eat with her eyes closed. By jove, she could! The adults at the table were busting a gut as she shoveled food into her mouth while keeping her eyes squinted closed and a big smile on her face.






Christmas was pretty lively around the Day household this year. Most of the presents under the tree were for Miss Olivia, but wouldn't you know, she was more interested in playing with pots and pans in the kitchen then opening presents? One of her favorite new toys quickly became a box that one of her new toys came in. Now I know...all I need to make my little girl happy is boxes, paper and a few pots and pans.














The Sunday after Christmas was a very special occasion for us. Olivia was baptized by her grandpa (who also baptized me and my brother as infants). Olivia was blessed with the gift of a beautiful dress, sewn for her by a very special lady in our lives (thank you Trudy!). She also got her very first whole piece of cake!










So wow....it still doesn't seem quite real to me. But it is, it really is. Something that surprised me after becoming a mom is that I became a little more lonely without a spouse. My first thought was, "why would I be more lonely NOW?" I quickly came to realize that the lonliness had nothing to do with wanting someone else around to help me out. It had to do with the fact that I was now the proud mom of a beautiful little girl. One who is constantly doing amazing things and I constantly find myself wanting to say to someone, "guess what she just did!" or "look how beautiful she is today!". And then I realized that even though she doesn't have a daddy, and I don't have a spouse to say those things to, I have a family and friends that love her as much as I do, who want to hear about all the new things she's doing. So I know I say it alot...but THANK YOU. Thank you for falling in love with my daughter.



On that note...Happy New Year!

I'm redecorating...

Olivia here.

I thought it was about time I got a few words in. I really like my new home, and my new mom but I'm not so sure about the wallpaper border she put in my room. So I thought up a great plan...my mom thinks I'm napping but what I'm really doing is peeling that wallpaper off, piece by piece. I think it's a pretty good plan and my mom doesn't seem to have caught on yet.



I'm also learning lots of new things since coming to America. My Auntie Tine taught me how to "give five". My Auntie Cindy taught me how to wave "bye bye" and my mom taught me how to do thumbs up. She's also trying to teach me how to blow kisses but I don't really understand why you'd blow a kiss? I need to understand the rationale before I do the act! Oh yeah, and my friend Taylan taught me how to close doors!

I LOVE the food here. Especially chocolate cake (thank you Grandpa) and stawberry pound cake (Thank you auntie Luanne). Actually I love all the food here, I'm not too picky.

My mom told me they have to do another surgery to help fix my mouth. My surgery is scheduled for January 19th and I guess I won't be able to eat for a little while but my mom told me she'll give me lots of good stuff to drink. I like to drink almost as much as I like to eat.

I'll write more soon (I also really like the computer, I'm trying to get my mom to let me have my own facebook page but it looks like I'll need to do a little more convincing).

Bye Bye!

Doctors reports

Ok, so I tried the "mommy - daughter" self-portrait thing and it didn't work out so well, I'll keep trying...




We got good news today! Olivia's pediatrician called to let us know that all of Olivia's blood work came back normal! Whoohoo! She is a healthy little girl. With all of the smiles and laughter that come out of this little one, I kind of suspected she was!

We also saw the cleft surgeon this afternoon. He took a one second peek inside her mouth and said, "yep, let's schedule her for surgery!" He said the cleft palate is pretty wide and would like to do surgery soon. He also said there is about an 80% chance that the first surgery will be "unsuccessful". When I asked him what he meant by that, he said there is a risk that her speech will not be normal. If the first surgery is unsuccessful, they follow-up with a second palate surgery in about 6 months. He also said the surgeon in China did a pretty bad job correcting her cleft lip. He said he could try to do some reconstructive surgery on her face but wouldn't recommmend surgery until she was about 4 years old. I think she's absolutely beautiful now....so what if her nose is a little crooked!!

We see an ENT on Friday morning. They'll determine at that time if she also needs tubes put in her ears (a pretty common procedure with cleft kids). If she does need tubes, they'll be able to do this at the same time her palate is repaired.

After our visit with the surgeon, they gave us a tour of the unit she'll be staying on. She'll only be in the hospital one night, and I can stay with her.

After leaving the hospital, I got pretty teary! She's such a happy girl and is adjusting so well to her new life, the thought of putting her through surgery right now (or any time) breaks my heart. I know there are many moms and dads out there who have been through surgery and illness with their kids. Any advice you have would be most welcome.

Thanks again for following along with us. I'll leave you with a couple of prayer requests....and I thank you for keeping "little O" in your prayers:

1. Please pray that Olivia's first palate surgery will be completely successful and that she will NOT need the second surgery 6 months later.
2. We'd also appreciate prayer on the timing of this first surgery. If I had my way, I'd postpone it forever. They are talking about either December or January. There are pros and cons to both months.

Thank you!
Karis

Finally, a good nights sleep!

I've had a few requests to keep the blog updated and I thought it was a great idea as we would so appreciate continued prayer!

We've been home almost a week now! I would say the hardest part about the past few days is that we've both been on China time. Sleepy during the day and wide awake at night! Thankfully, I think jet lag is starting to come to a close. Last night we both slept really well. Not sure if we've completely rounded the corner, but I'm praying it is so!!

Yesterday, Olivia got to meet her wonderful pediatrician. She was there for about an hour and a half and did really well! Her biggest problem were her ears. Lots of hard, yucky gook (that's a medical term I think I learned back in nursing school) in both her ears. She did not like the big metal thingy the doctor used to get it out. She's got some fluid in her ears (not surprising with her cleft) so the doctor put her on amoxicillin (which she LOVES and wanted more of....hmmmm....moms, how do you deal with this one?!). Other than the ears, he thought she looked great. He took lots of blood (which is routine with internationally adopted babies...they'll check for infectious diseases like hiv, hepatitis, tuberculosis) and asked me to bring back 3 stool samples to check for parasites. I'm thankful she's still in diapers :) So we'll wait for the tests and see him again in a couple of weeks. She'll get some immunizations at that time most likely.

Next week, we see her cleft surgeon for the first time. Hopefully at that visit, we'll decide the best time for her first surgery. Mommy doesn't really want to think about surgery yet though....

Otherwise, she's doing really well! She loves her home and her room. She loves her toys (especially blocks and things she can try to figure out). She's so curious! She loves her baths....and is learning how to brush her very short hair all by herself. Mommy is dressing her in pink as people are mistaking her for a boy....that's ok....mommy was mistaken for a boy too at her age!

Thanks again for the continued prayer for bonding and adjustment to her new life. And thank you too to those who have called and left messages!! I've been so tired that I just haven't been able to answer the phone much but today is a much better day and I will start returning calls very soon!

Love you!!!
Karis and Olivia

p.s....please forgive the poor photo, we need uncle John back here to take better pictures :)

p.s.s....one more cool story! Last night when I stopped at the pharmacy to fill her antibiotic, the pharmacy tech said, "Have you been here before?". I said, "I have, but this one is for my DAUGHTER". It was the first time I said that!! My DAUGHTER!

Safely Home!!

We're HOME!

Olivia was such a trooper. She made it through 14 hours on airplanes, endless security checks (in China they even frisked her!) and lots of waiting in lines. By the time we arrived in Mpls, we were SO happy to see the smiling faces of friends and family, thank you guys so much for welcoming us home. Olivia can't wait to play with Ella (who welcomed her to town so graciously! what a sweetie she is!!) and the other new friends she has yet to meet. And I just have to say a very special thank you to Luanne who took care of us so well at the airport! We even got a congratulations from the pilot on the plane! We also loved our welcome sign and flowers, thanks you tuesday night guys! And thank you auntie Maria for the perfect fitting hat, it was much needed on our drive home and Olivia even left it on her head!

When we got home, Olivia ran around the house like a mad woman, laughing and smiling and so excited! She also spent a little time getting to know grandma and grandpa. It was so precious to see her warm up to them pretty quickly. By the time grandpa had to leave to take John back to the airport (as he had one more flight today, back to San Diego) she was giving hugs to grandma and grandpa (and she does not give out hugs lightly!). Pretty special.

This evening, as we were getting ready for bed, I put on some music and we rocked a little bit. As we rocked, the tears just came and came! After 3 1/2 years of waiting and preparing her room, she is finally here. There were so many times during the wait that I was close to giving up, thinking it would never really happen. But then it did, and she is amazing and she is exactly who God created for me. And me for her. Now I am a mother. And Olivia is a daughter, and a granddaughter, and a neice. It kind of blows me away.

Photo Blitz!

Hi all,

This is my last blog entry before leaving for the US. I know you all have wanted to see more pictures... so I've been working on an Olivia photo ablum. I took over 1,100 pictures on the trip, so the blog is just a sampling. The trouble with taking so many photos is that it takes a long time to sort through them! But at last I've got something ready for you. For those who can't get enough pictures of my cute little neice (a.k.a. Karis' cute little daughter), check out my new Picasa Web album here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnday88/OliviaInChina?authkey=FWS8kqrCPAA#

You should not have to sign up for any account to view the album. You should be able to see a nearly full screen slideshow... and you can even download the pictures to your computer.

Enjoy! Now I had better get myself to bed. Tomorrow's trip to the airport comes early!

Uncle John

Homeward Bound!

It's about 9:30 pm here on Tuesday night and we are packed and ready to go. We leave for the airport at 6am tomorrow morning (around 4pm Tuesday afternoon MN time!). Our first flight (to Narita, Japan) is about 4 hours and then an 11 hour flight to Mpls (and then one more flight to SD for my little brother who will by that time be very tired!). Prayers for a good girl on a very long flight would be much appreciated!

A really good thing happened at nap time today. I have a pretty outgoing, non-cuddly little girl (kind of like her mom I guess!). Today at nap time, she let me rock her to sleep for the very first time. It felt so wonderful, and I'm hoping the trend will continue on the airplane tomorrow!

Everything went really well today. We went to the American consulate this afternoon to pick up the babies passports and visas. There were about 50 adoptive parents there with their kids and they had us all stand and take an oath that everything we had written on our documents was true. I was the only one in the room who did not say the pledge outloud as my daughter decided at that very moment to have a very loud tantrum....the whole room laughed. The whole room except mommy.

I can't believe this trip is coming to an end. Thank you for following along with us. It's been so wonderfully comforting to me to know that home has been just a blog away!

We love you!
Karis