Update on Karsynn

Karsynn is really settling in well. We are getting into a better sleeping pattern now, with only a few sleepless nights a week. Mommy and Daddy are VERY pleased!!!!!! Karsynn is eating well and playing even better. She loves to play with Mamaw and Papaw Davis and Grandma and Grandpa Hatfield. She really loves Whitney, Dylan and Shelby but wishes she could see them more often. She loves her Aunt Tonya and can't wait to meet her Uncle Eric this weekend. He's been away working in Mississippi and Alabama. Mommy and Daddy both go back to work on Sept. 17th, which will be a difficult transition for everyone, I'm sure. But, you have to do what you have to do. Here are some of Karsynn's firsts:

• First playdate with cousin, Shelby (had her hair pulled AGAIN)


• First football game at the Recreation Bowl (Montgomery Co. beat Clark Co.) YEAH!!!!!


• First Sunday School trip with Daddy and Grandma


• First time using a sippy cup today, but we're not very good at it yet
• Had our first professional picture taken at Walmart (only got one pose!)
  

She's adjusting quite well to life at home and we are so thankful. God is so very good!!!! Enjoy a few pics!

Coming Home to Kentucky!!!!!

Playing with my cousin, Shelby


Home at last!!!!

A nice welcome home!

Aunt Tonya and Dylan

Cousin Whitney worked hard on my signs!!

All American Girl!

Taking in Hong Kong

CJ-Ohio State Fan

Karsynn- UK Fan

A True Blue Family of Three

Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy of Karsynn's final leg of her journey home. Some are from Hong Kong, some are at the airport in Lexington, and others are us just relaxing at home.

We're Home!!!!

Wow, what an adventure this has been. We left China headed for Newark, NJ and the plane ride was fine. Karsynn did great seeing that we were on the plane for 15 hrs. and 19 min. Wow! What an experience with a 9 mo. old. I just kept watching each minute and each mile tick off the television screen praying the whole time that it would pass swiftly. NOT! We arrive in Newark and Karsynn was officially a US citizen. Our flight from Newark to Cleveland was delayed two hours, so we missed our connecting fight in Cleveland to Lexington. Many friends and family members were anxiously awaiting us in Lexington, but it would not be so. We were forced to stay the night in a Sheraton in Cleveland, paid for of course by the airlines. We made it home on Saturday about 9:30 am. There were so many wonderful friends and family members waiting for us. We are so blessed. It was great to see everyone. It was even greater to know that our journey was almost over.

Mommy and Daddy are suffering from a terrible bout of jetlag, mommy more so than daddy. Karsynn also seems to be suffering from the time change too, she's only sleeping two hours at a night, so we're exhausted. Karsynn also has a head cold, so we had to start her on a round of antibiotics. That long plane ride wasn't good for anyone's health.

We want to thank you all for following our journey to China. It was truly the most amazing, life-changing event in our lives. Karsynn is worth every mile, every worry, every headache, every tear, every bad lunch/dinner, and every sleepless night. We'll all be settled soon and will look forward to a lifetime of happiness. I will continue to post updates on the blog, so please keep checking in. God bless! It's so good to be home. There's no place like home.

Group Pictures on the Red Couch!!!

It is a tradition for all adoptive families to have the babies' pictures made on the red couch in the White Swan hotel. Ok, imagine 8 squirmy babies all dress in traditional Chinese silk dresses and moms and dads trying to put them down at one time and get a "good" picture. You've got the idea! It was crazy. Nila called it. She said there's always one crying baby and she bet that CJ would be the one to cry. She was right. Miss CJ was not a happy girl. Guess which one she is! We leave Guangzhou tomorrow and travel 2 hrs. by train to Hong Kong. We'll stay there overnight and fly out of HK Friday morning. I pray that Karsynn and CJ both do well on the long flight. They did great on their first short trip, but 14 hrs. is a LONGGGGGG time to fly. We love and miss you all and can't wait to introduce Ms. Karsynn to her new family and friends. You're just going to "eat her up!" She's a special girl and we are truly blessed, although she did bite her mommy today on the shoulder. We may not post again in China, so if not, until next time... We're coming home!!!!!!!!! We were even presented with out Going Home Barbie today at the White Swan. This is a special gift given to all families by Mattel, who stay at the White Swan. It is a Barbie carrying a Chinese daughter. Very nice!!!!

Pictures from Guangzhou

Mommy talking with a local shop owner

Daddy and his new lady

Behind the indoor waterfall

A Happy Family ready to come home!!

Playing in the Mattel "Swan Room"

First time in a swing

Landing in Guangzhou

Karsynn and CJ playing on the airplane

CJ's first plane ride

Going up taking a bottle

Karsynn's first airplane ride

Goodbye Michael!!!!!!!!

Our group picture in Chongqing

Cozy with Daddy

Hey Mom, don't forget me!!!

Guangzhou is lovely! We really are enjoying Shamian Island, especially the shopping. Daddy is quite good at bargaining with the local shop owners. The White Swan Hotel is nice, but not as nice as JW Marriott. We were spoiled there. Tonight we went swimming in the outdoor pool after a long day of shopping. We also ate at Lucy's Bar, which is American Food...YEAH!!! Until tomorrow...

We made it to Guangzhou!!!

It is 11:19 P.M. and we finally made it to Guangzhou. Our flight from Chongqing to Guangzhou was about 1 hr. 20 min. Karsynn did wonderful for her very first flight. I gave her a bottle on the way up, of course she drank the whole thing. Her ears didn't bother her at all. In fact, she slept most of the way. On the way down, her ears were hurting just a bit, so I had to borrow some formula from CJ's bottle to get her through the remainder of the flight. She and CJ did wonderful. In fact, most of the girls did wonderful. Poor Lizzie's ears hurt so bad that she screamed the majority of the time. She's sick, too, so that didn't help. Tomorrow is our Medical Exam and Visa picture. Karsynn's passport is so cute, of course! Well, gotta get into bed. Early morning tomorrow and busy day of shopping. Love to you all. I'll post pictures tomorrow! Too late tonight!

Sammi

Pictures of the Day

Go Wildcats!!!


See how tired mommy is!

Asleep during my first church service

John did a great job with this morning's service!

I have my daddy wrapped!

Today was not very busy. We attended church this morning after breakfast and went for an afternoon swim with daddy. Karsynn is not feeling well today. She didn't sleep well last night. I think she's cutting another tooth and is getting a bit of a cold. We fly to Guangzhou tomorrow, so I hope she feels better then. Enjoy!

Saying good-bye to Chongqing...

This will probably be my final post from Chongqing, as we leave tomorrow for the final leg of our trip, Guangzhou, which is even further south in China. This is where the U.S. Consulate office is where we will finalize our adoption. As we prepare to say good-bye to Chongqing, I am filled with many emotions. Not only are we saying goodbye to Michael, our new friend, and our faithful bus driver, but we are also saying goodbye to Karsynn's city. The city who so kindly gave her to us. We are leaving behind the life that she has known for a much better one, but still, it is all she has left of her old life. We have tried very hard to capture some beautiful memories for her on video and in pictures, yet we wonder if it will ever be enough to satisfy her curiosity of where she is from. As I'm typing, we are sitting here in front of a huge window with a splendid view of her old world and tears are flowing down my face. I'm ready to come home, but I'm sad to leave, if that makes any sense at all. As we've walked through the city and stared into the many faces of mothers studying Karsynn almost as if to see if they recognize their own abandoned child, my heart aches. It aches for all the Chinese women who have felt forced to give up their child and for all those to come. As I look at Karsynn I imagine what a sacrifice her birth mother made just to save her life. We have learned that so many choose abortion over abandonment, which is very sad. At least her mother loved her enough to save her. For this, we are eternally thankful. Our prayer is that God grant her peace of mind and heart and that she knows that she will be well taken care of. I will post pictures later, if possible. We love you all.

Playtime with other Babies

J.W. Marriott...Our Hotel


McDonald's Menu

Grandma and Karsynn

CJ...a bathing beauty

Mamaw Davis and Karsynn

CJ Bei

Play Time!!!

McDonald's

Karsynn and CJ's first trip

to McDonalds

CJ on mommy's shoulders

Silk Factory and Rice Patties

Outside the Silk Factory


Mommy and Karsynn are "beat!"

KFC in Chongqing

Grandma and Karsynn playing

Nightlife in Chongqing Ped Way

Mamaw and Karsynn playing jumpy

Grandma and Karsynn playing on the bed

Bathing Beauty...her, not me

Rice Patties

Chongqing Countryside

CJ Bei on the bus

Allison and Karsynn at lunch...we love Allison

Silk Worm Factory

Stringing the silk

Silkworms

Inside the silk factory

Mommy, Daddy and CJ

Today was an easy day. We began this morning by traveling by bus outside of the city to see how the "peasants" live, so Michael calls them. There were rice patty fields everywhere and corn growing on the sides of mountains. Very strange to see. It was a very mountainous area and people live and farm down in deep valleys. After visiting the countryside, we then were treated to a visit to the silk factory. They talked to us about the silk worms and how they grew inside the cocoons. They showed us several steps in the process, which was very interesting. Today is Grandma Teresa's birthday, so at lunch today we were treated to Chinese birthday cake and Happy Birthday in both English and Chinese. Very cool! The cake was delicious. It had fruits like apples, grapes and pineapple in it. Very delicious, as Allison would say. She's so cute! We hope you are enjoying the posts each day, and most of all, the pictures of beautiful Karsynn and CJ.

Happy Birthday Grandma!!!!

Karsynn enjoying Grandma's Cake!


Grandma's Getting Old!!!

Yummy Cake!! They even sang Happy Birthday in Chinese!

Allison and Penny bringing the cake

Eling Park and Tea House Ceremony

Our Hotel...very nice!!!

Today was a slow day. We took a ride to Eling Park, which is the highest point in Chongqing. It is a very nice park, very calming. We were also treated to a Tea House ceremony, where we were introduced to three different teas and taught to take tea the appropriate way. It is very ritualistic, much like wine tasting in the US. We came back to the room and Daddy went to McDonalds for everyone. Karsynn had squash and bananas...YUMMY! She likes pretty much anything you give her. McD's is pretty much the same as home, except they use a spicy sauce on all sandwiches and cucumbers instead of pickles. Tonight is Pizza Hut in the room!!!

A bit about Karsynn

While I have a spare moment, I thought I'd share a bit about Karsynn's personality. She is a very active baby. A bit of a wiggle worm. She is learning to crawl but has not mastered it yet. She knows enough to get where she wants to go. She can also stand for a while in her crib and tries very hard to walk around the perimeter. Her legs are still very wobbly, though. She loves to babble. Her first English word was "DaDa" of course and Troy just eats that up. When she wakes up in the morning, she's all smiles. She loves to eat!! She'll try anything. She mainly eats congee, which is a watery rice cooked for a long time, and steamed egg. She's currently eating Nestle' formula with rice cereal in her bottle. She can suck one down in a matter of minutes. I'm so glad that she does not have a bottle preference. We brought three different types and she'll take any of them, unlike some of the other babies. She only cries when she's hungry, wet or sleepy. Otherwise, she's a happy girl. Last night, she went to bed around 10:00 and slept until 6:00 this morning, which is great. At 6:00. she was ready for a diaper change and a bottle. Now, she's on the bed with daddy playing away. So sweet. She has the sweetest little smile and giggle. She lights up the whole room. Her hair is jet black, unlike the other babies who have a brown tint to their hair. Her skin is so smooth and like porcelain and her eyes are so brown they look black. She has the sweetest little lips, which we fell in love with in her referral pictures. When she smiles, she has two top and two bottom teeth that show. Overall, she's a perfect baby. Very content. Very loving. Very much ours!!!!!!!!! She loves her mommy and daddy. It shows in her face when she looks at us. We are so lucky. God is so good. We can't wait for you all to meet her.

Enjoying Chongqing

Today, we visited a famous local museum dedicated solely to the Flying Tiger Airforce from WWII. The Chinese truly have a genuine admiration for what the Flying Tiger did for their country during the fighting with Japan. A famous local artist from the Chongqing University for Fine Arts also painted pictures on rice paper for each girl and wrote their names in Chinese on the picture. Very cool. They are being matted in silk and delivered to the hotel tomorrow. A great keepsake. We also visited a famous point in Chongqing where the Yangste River meets the Jialing River. Just last week there was bad flooding here in CQ, so we're very lucky it's over. We also had lunch at a local Hot Pot restaurant today. Hot Pot is a famous local dish, which is VERY spicy. Basically, they have all different meats and veggies raw on plates and you cook them in spicy soups in the middle of the table. The chicken was great!!! CJ and Karsynn enjoyed a playdate last night, while the mommy and daddy enjoyed McDonald's. They just touched and jabbered. So sweet.

Care Package

With all the excitement, I completely forgot to post about the Care Package Troy and I sent Karsynn to her orphanage. She got it! While we didn't get everything back that we sent, the director did bring the mini blanket that Grandma Teresa made for her and we got THE CAMERAS back!!!!! We sent two disposable cameras. One is completely full of pictures and the other only partly full. I cannot wait to get them developed. I hope there are lots of good pictures from the orphanage, since it is too far for us to travel to. Here are a couple more pics to enjoy. We are visiting the Flying Tigers U.S. Airforce Museum today. They used to land here in Chongqing during World World II and there's even a street named after a famous U.S. general, Stillwell, I believe.

First Swim

Post #2 for the Day...Wow!

She loves the water!!!!!

Pictures of the Princess

Today was a day full of firsts. We visited a Panda Zoo and it was the first time we've had rain in China. Actual thunder and lightning and huge raindrops. Had to cut our visit short. So, we headed to Wal-Mart instead. Wow, what an experience. Very few meats are refrigerated. Whole birds. A few unknown foods. Cheap prices. Quite an experience!!! Of course my mom was freaked out. The sights and smells in China are often too much for her senses. She's very amusing and wonderful about it all. She fills her plate with a bit of everything, or at least some rice, pushes it around with chopsticks and then waits for the watermelon to be served. Then she eats Pizza Hut for dinner. She does enjoy a large breakfast though each and every day. She and my mother-in-law are having a great time. They've been a huge help to us, and to the other families, too. Until next time... We love you all!