One month from today we brought home our new daughter Joelle.  Life really has been good for Joelle as we are discovering.  Her orphanage loved her so much; it was like one big happy family.  How many orphanages do you know have the elderly involved? Many God filled blessings to Jining SWI! And . . . we found her crib mate who also shared a similar special need as well as her surgery date–simply incredible!  The girls are only one month apart, very close in height (if you count hairs!), and weight.  This wonderful couple lives  in Pennslvania, and if “the Lord is willing” (which is the what Joelle’s name means) we will see them in the fall!  On top of this, we have found a Facebook group who have all adopted from the same orphanage.  Weekly, we are getting new pictures of Joelle that we’ve never seen before–the Lord never ceases to amaze me!  It reminds me that the Lord has written all of our stories.  Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Joelle’s first bath was a month ago, although it was not a pleasant experience.  Even though the water in the tub was only two inches deep and Juliese was in there with her, Joelle was not thrilled with the idea of a bath; please keep in mind that we were told that she “loved” baths and she was so hot and sweaty that a “bath” could not  be overlooked!  Of course, it didn’t help when I lathered her up with Baby Magic that first night and then, as I went to move her–KABOOM! She slipped right out of my hands, like a fish escaping a fisherman’s clutches–crashing into the shallow water.  Needless to say, for the next four weeks, Joelle took her baths standing up screaming and crying.  As the weeks progressed, though, the screams have dwindled down to crying only when the soap needs to be rinsed from her hair.  Juliese has happily taken baths with Joelle and has been such a great teacher by showing her how much fun she can have with the white rubber ducky, a plastic “eco free” blue tea cup, and a miniature silver cooking pan.  NEWSFLASH:  JULIESE SPENT HER CLASSROOM DOLLARS TO BUY THAT RUBBER DUCKY FOR HER SISTER.  JULIESE TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS HOPING THAT THIS CUTE LITTLE DUCKY WOULD MAKE JOELLE FEEL BETTER. And you know what?  Blessings do come in the form of sweet big sisters and plastic, white rubber duckies. In fact, with Juliese’s help, Joelle finally sat down in the tub and now stays there!  What a wonderful big sister Juliese is turning into!

Side Note: For those who are adopting, never assume that the information on your child is correct–including baths! Both of my daughters had the opposite reactions to what was written about them.  Our definition of a bath and China’s is apparently very different.  I am confident in saying that our daughter had never seen running water until she met us, so you can imagine seeing and hearing loud, rushing water and thundery toilet flushes could scare a child even more!  The best way to help them get over the fear is to let them take the lead.  During the day,  for the last four weeks, Joelle has been allowed to play with water in any capacity; yes, it can be messy when your daughter plunges her hand into her drinking water at a restaurant or begins to use every family member’s toothbrush to scrub the sink!. However, the sensory issues that an adoptee may be feeling will subside as a variety of different water plays are encouraged.

You know I really should have researched more about the sleeping adjustments that children make coming from an orphanage.  The unfortunate assumption that I could use my “previous experiences” from Juliese did backfire on me!  Of course, now that I am back on American soil and have my “wits” about me once again, it seems obvious that we are all created differently and have a variety of ways that our needs can be met. You would think I would have known that after having two boys; though both boys are made in Christ’s image and have the same parents, their needs are not the same.

As I sit here and reflect on the last month, I amazed that Joelle has adapted so quickly!  She is singing, dancing, and loves people.  I am relieved that she prefers me over others, although I was worried about that for a while since she is such a social butterfly!  Her sense of humor and ability to understand the verbal English is mind boggling!

Anyway, after having Joelle for a week, I could not figure out why she did not want to cuddle with either Jeff and I in bed?  After all, I had my mind set on NOT putting her in a crib; I felt that this could jeopardize the attachment and bonding that we were stiving for.  It never dawned on me that she had never seen a bed or the fact that Jeff being in the caregiver situation may be uncomfortable–how foolish is that! I also couldn’t figure out why she always wanted to leave the hotel rooms and preferred to be outside and traveling.  I think most of our bonding really occurred while taking those excursions that both Holt and Lotus Travel had set up.  She was forced to snuggle and stay with us.  Sitting on laps whenever possible is so crucial when bonding.  Because Joelle had never been out of the orphanage, being in the public was scary, and Jeff and I were all that she had; therefore, she would cling to us.

One night, out of desperation, I finally plopped Joelle into the stroller and covered her with Jeff’s fleece.   She fell asleep in minutes and was very easy to place into the bed.  Every night was different-one night she cuddled up with Juliese and went to sleep; another night she did go to sleep in the bed and was fine until I rolled on her!  That was not a pleasant couple of hours–back to the stroller that night!  Our last night in Asia, I had a crib put in our hotel room in Hong Kong as I had given up the idea of her sharing a bed with us for bonding purposes. While in Hong Kong, I would constantly place her in the crib and smile and tell her that this was “her space, her crib”.  That night, she fell asleep immediately.

Ten days later, after we had arrived home, something changed . . . Joelle had woken up several nights and would be found sitting on the bed just staring at me.  After a while, she would crawl back into her toddler bed and go to sleep.  Well, last night, another night terror hit, this was the first one in several nights, and Jeff brought her out to the kitchen.  She wanted to be in her booster seat; yes, several nights she has fallen asleep there, too!  Because Jeff has been so sick, he let her sit there only briefly and brought her back in and set her on the bed between us.  I will never forget what happened after that.

Smack, smack, went the puckering lips . . . Joelle leaned over and said, “Wo ai ni, Ma Ma.”  And then, these sweet, soft lips planted one right on me!  Even though I was exhausted, I knew that something had changed in Joelle.  I motioned for her to lay her head on my pillow.  Plop!  Joelle dropped her head quickly and mooshed her cheek right next to mine.  Cooing and sighing with complete joy, Joelle stayed there while gently moving her hands all over my face and still  continued to snuggle closer and closer.  Eventually, due to the last several weeks of sleeping issues, I placed her back into her toddler bed thinking that she didn’t want to stay like that; I was wrong!  The next thing I know, these two humongous, brown eyes peeked out at me, and then, the first leg flew over the pillow and then, the next!  Suddenly, Joelle flung her entire body over the bed and landed right next to me.  The next morning we woke up–to each other, side by side.

This puzzle will be double framed so that Joelle  may see all who contributed in bringing her home!

THANK YOU FOR STEPPING OUT OF THE BOAT WITH US–JUST LIKE PETER DID WITH JESUS!

Hello or Ni Hao, my name is Joelle, and it is a pleasure to meet all of you FINALLY! I know so many of you have been such an encouragement to my parents and also my new brothers and sister! Thank you so much for eternally investing in me and realizing that one cannot put a price on a human life! I am so happy that you bought a puzzle piece or two just for me!  The money raised from putting this masterpiece together “of me” was an unbelievable $2,589; my mommy and daddy, with the LORD”S HELP, sold 252 puzzle pieces! I am pretty sure that this money went for our food and water during the trip!  By the way, I loved the raspberry and blueberry Oreos that they bought for me–have you ever tried them?

Oh, before I forget, I wanted to tell you about my very first Sunday in church and how much I loved the worship music!  There was this really talented guy named Joey who played the guitar.  He also played my family’s theme song “Savior, You Can Move a Mountain” and wrote a song about my favorite Bible verse which was on my puzzle!  (See below) I just can’t wait for my friends who still need forever homes to hear how much God loves them and that HE has a wonderful plan for them. You will remember to pray for them, won’t you? And even though my parents’ fundraising is done, there are many more children out there that need your help–please don’t forget them, they need your prayers, your love, and financial help. Of course, if you have an empty room, you, too, can adopt!

Ephesians 2:10: For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

It is hard to believe that three weeks from today, on Mother’s Day, Joelle became part of our family.  So, much has changed in just this week alone!  She is a running, giggling, talking, and loving little two year old!  Though she loves her Ma Ma, Joelle is still very affectionate with Dad, her brothers, and sister.  Tonight, was the first night that Juliese thanked the Lord for her sister while saying her prayers! Surprisingly, when I went to crawl in bed, this is what I found– Joelle had moved herself from the toddler bed into our bed!  This is huge since she would scream any time we would even sit with with her on a bed!  The nightmares have stopped, and I can lay her down in her bed while she’s awake; she does not seem fearful anymore! What? Is that a smile on Joelle’s face while in the bathtub? Thank you, Lord!

Joelle loved the Play Doh; this will improve her hand muscles.  I was pleased that she did not try to eat it today but instead enjoyed making a clown nose with some of the Play Doh like Jake and I did–sorry there are no pictures of me with my blue nose!  My theory with the water play is to first get my floors washed . . . no, seriously, I am hopeful that this will improve her love for taking baths eventually.  At this point, she cries through them.  Finally, Joelle is an incredibly quick learner; hi-five’s with Jake, counting up to  four, greeting people in either Chinese or English, and humming tunes of songs that I sing to her only a couple of times is simply amazing.  Many of the issues that were occurring in China are no longer concerns, here.  Thank you, Lord.  Maybe I can home school all three and do a preschool with Joelle?!

Don’t you just love the “Welcome Home Signs” that my boys make for us?  In Picture #1, Joelle is posing with her purple teddy bear that she seems to just love.  In Picture #2, Sunday morning, the girls immediately began to play dress up.  Our sweet Joelle seems to have no fear of playing and moving about the house–except she’s not too fond of our toilet yet or her crib (I stand corrected–she just used the potty-yeah!).  In Picture #3, Jonah, mommy’s Tiger, joins in on the fun of dressing up and using his Chinese sword.  While I was sleeping off some of the jet lag, Joelle had fallen in love with Jonah and would not let him out of her sight–another answer to prayer since from the beginning that I had felt that both Jonah and Joelle had similar temperaments–not to mention both have June birthdays!  Jonah was the one who had insisted that I purchase just one more angel ornament because he said, “You never know Mom; the Lord may want us to adopt again.”

My parents have been with us this weekend and have been such a HUGE BLESSING!  Everyone has someone–four adults and four children.  I think they should move here–don’t you?

Below in picture #4, Juliese has fallen asleep in her big brother Jake’s arms; she missed “the brothers” (her nickname) SO MUCH!  Juliese ended up going to bed Sunday night at 6 and woke up with Jeff and I at 4 this morning.  Joelle fell asleep at 3 Sunday afternoon and woke up at 4:30 a.m. (Monday morning).  If this is the extent of our jetlag–waking up at 4-we’ll take it!  We are just going to sleep when the girls fall asleep; I went to bed at 8 last night. In picture #5, Joelle has crashed (Sunday) in her bed that is located in our room; please continue to pray for adjustments in this area–cribs and beds SCARE her.  Like many who’ve been adopted from orphanages, they are in rooms with many cribs and some have bed mates.  An adult or two and a bed located in a setting like this would not be seen!  In the final picture, Joelle had just woken up after sleeping for almost 12 hours and had her first bowl of cereal.

Last night, we were blessed with chicken alfredo and others delicious treats; thank you Dick and Maida and . . . THANK YOU JUNE MOSHER FOR LINING UP SOME YUMMY MEALS FOR US!

At this point I will be hooking back up with Facebook; we did not have access while in China!  My updates may become weekly ones since we’ve just started a new journey--raising four children: 2 tenderhearted boys, grown in Mommy’s tummy and 2 sweet girls grown in our hearts and yours!

All children, regardless of their past or where they’ve been, are each a special creation, a blessings from the Lord!

We left Novotel Hotel, Hong Kong, at 6:45 boarded Continental 98 at 10:30 a.m., destination Newark, New Jersey.  Around 1:30 we landed in Newark only to find several adventures or a little adversity waiting for us.  First, though, I wanted everyone to know that my children, Juliese and Joelle, are the best travelers EVER–sixteen hours in a plane and not a single complaint happened!

Once we safely had landed in Newark, we had to go through immigration and customs and also drop off our Hague adoption papers which were in a brown, sealed envelope.  After waiting in a very LONG line, this lady tells us that we are in the wrong one and makes a gesture to go to different  large line and start again—Are you kidding me?—with two kids who’ve been traveling already 19 hours!  Okay, at this point any slight “saintish” personality traits that I had once called my own had completely had dissipated!  Jeff had already asked which line ahead of time, stating that we had an immigrant entering the country who we had adopted from China and was not a U.S. Citizen yet.  Without even thinking, I told the immigration officer that they needed to get their act together and be on the same page and made a reference that Jeff had already asked.  Embarrassed of my quick tongue, I had to go back to her when she kept calling my name and apologize.  Regardless, the Lord always works out things for good –not to mention He always has a forgiving heart in spite of our foolishness!  We ended up going to an officer who dealt with all of our adoption papers as well as immigration and duty papers.  Surprisingly, we made it to our flight with an hour to spare!

I dressed the girls in their Journey for Joelle red t-shirts that we had for the walk-a-thon; Jeff and I had ours on, too.  Not to mention, once we stepped in the Newark Airport, Joelle was finally an American!

Amy and Ellen were waiting for us at the Logan Airport (thank goodness for cell phones!); however, we had to do some plane hopping and reschedule our flight to Boston due to intense fog there.  So, instead of arriving in Boston at 5, we arrived there around 9.  Thankfully, we had two wonderful tour guides that carried our luggage, had water and snacks waiting for us in the van, and dropped us right off to our “home sweet home”!

Well, this is my last entry of our trip.  We leave tomorrow around 6 to get to the airport (a fifteen hour flight with two children-prayer, please!) and are expected to be walking through our door around 8.  In the morning we took a train to Hong Kong; this was very interesting.  Some of the above pictures show what we saw along the way.  The first two are so sweet; Jeff gave Joelle his bracelet that he has never taken off; the words “Journey for Joelle” and our website were inside these bracelets that a dear friend a purchased.  These bracelets were our first fundraiser!  Joelle decided to give Jeff her pearl one–isn’t that sweet?  Oh, before I forget, for the first time . . . Joelle cupped my face in her pudgy little hands and kept kissing me–at least 10 times.  “Love You, Mama” should would say!

Once at the hotel, we went swimming. We are thrilled that Joelle finally put her feet in the water since up until this point any water has scared her; by the end, she was splashing us!  I really do not think she ever so running water or had a real bath.  Tonight, she is peacefully sleeping in her crib; prayerfully, she will stay there tonight.  See you on the other side of the world tomorrow!  WE CANNOT WAIT TO HUG AND KISS AND OUR BOYS AND MY FOLKS!  THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING US IN  .  .  . THE JOURNEY FOR JOELLE!

And now, once we hit Nichol Street in South Paris, one journey comes to an end but a new adventure begins!  God bless!