Technical Difficulties

Please hold, we are experiencing technical difficulties.  AHHHHHHHHH!  Can I just tell you how frustrated we've been with our internet provider?  Oh my word!  We've been without internet for a solid week and it has been off and on for a month since we got home from China.  I can't even calculate how many hours we've been on the phone with them.  I won't say their name but let's just say...it starts with a vowel and ends with two leTTers.  Then Dale even tried to change our provider and that one didn't even show up!  OK...I'm done!  I'll get off my ranting wagon ;)

On to bigger and more fun things!  I'll give you a quick run down because it's way past my bedtime!

But I'm so happy to be back online!

Let's start with Easter Lily ;))  How adorable is she!!  I can't resist her!

Big bro Jake !  I'm so proud of him and how wonderful he is to her!

The boys found their Easter baskets!

Noah got a big boy bike! 

Lily steals all the boys chocolates!  She's definitely MY daughter!!!  ;)

There's more to tell but I have to cut it short tonight!  Momma needs her beauty sleep! ;o

xoxo, D&N

Lily-Bug is CrrrrAzy!

Is it Spring?  or still winter!??  Lily doesn't know what to make of it.  But regardless...she loves being outside!  Lily is crazy!  She absolutely loves the 4 wheeler!  She grunts and points at it every time she sees it and expects her "ba ba" (daddy) to take her on it.  Lily is soooo excited that she holds her head!

These 2 monkeys go along for the ride.

Lily loves to play ball with her brothers!

 And she enjoys her new little vehicle...compliments of Kim O.  Thanks Kim!

Lily is "Fashion-forward" with her Spring Look.

We went to LaSalle again to see more family and friends.  Here Lily gave a big warm hug to my friend Nicki.  She ran into her arms!  It's almost like ...Lily is welcoming everyone to her...not the other way around!  

Noah gets a little of his own medicine and has a monkey on HIS back ;)  And he loves it!!

Lily is lovin' the "lime light"...getting so much attention from all the Aunts, Uncles and cousins!

Cousin Hayden is such a gentle and sweet boy!  love him!

Aunt Karen and Uncle Jeff got some Lily-lovin !

 Dale thinks he can pull off a bow!  Let's just say ...he is getting in touch with his feminine side ;))

Cousin Ollie is having "none of it" and wants Lily to stay away from his Momma! OMG is he cute even when he's a Drama King!~

Thank you Grace for making Lily a water bottle shaker ;)  Oh the simple things in life are the best!  

She loves it!

We just had our first social worker visit today.  I was a little worried and called my agency to just see what to expect from this visit.  And they were so helpful and said not to worry because she just asks questions to see how Lily is adapting and how we are adapting to her.  I didn't know if they inspected your house or what.  But they didn't!  I should have just sent them this blog.  I mean...what more do you need?  This shows how beautifully Lily is adapting!  Each picture tells a little mini-story.  The social worker was very nice and found it very evident that Lily is doing fantastic.

Again...what can I say?  This little girl loves everyone and is so joyful!  I'm so thankful and feel so blessed!!

So....it's the official countdown until her surgery May 13th.  Twenty-seven days until that day.  Time will fly I know...but I am not looking forward to it at all.  I have a bit of anxiety.  I worry more about her recovery than the actual surgery.  I just don't want her to be in pain and the 10 days after surgery are the hardest for her.  Eating will be tough ... since she can only eat soft mushy foods.  And she will need to wear splints on her arms so she doesn't  go digging in her mouth and mess up the closure.

What I look forward to is when she can really start talking!  Without the roof of your mouth...it's not easy to talk.  But I do love the fact that the one word she does say is....(drum roll please)...."Ma Ma."

I'll keep you posted.  

P.S.  I can't remember if I said this before...but I wanted to thank all of you that wrote to the boys while we were gone.!  That meant so much to them and to us.  I still look at the drawings and letters!  

And ...well, I gotta say this one is very impressive.  Props go to Bill Andreoni!  Wow Bill...I did not know you had it in ya!  :)) Thanks again!!!  Love to all!  D&N

Embracing Family, Embracing Love

Lily physically came from a "small town" in China with a population of 5 million.  Crazy.  But I think her heart has always been here...in the Kalman small-town of LaSalle, IL, population...9,500.  When we arrived on Sunday, it did not feel like her first visit.  In fact, she acted like she owned the place!  New places and new faces do not scare this little fireball!  It's amazing that there really isn't a "transition phase" with her or any of our family!  It's like Lily has always been here.

Lily took over the "Jake-man" mobile.  Look out!

Cousins play :)

 Gampa knows how to tickle Lily pink!

Jake loves to carry his lil' sis around.

 Precious hugs.  In fact, the first running hug Jake received from Lily was after school one day.  And immediately after that precious squeeze...he replied, "that felt sooooooo good!"

 I'm trying to show Lily how to drive "safely" in the U.S. (opposite of China ;) lol!

Sweet Maddie gives Lily a kiss!

I'm proud to say I received a running hug from cousin Maddie!  It was everything I had hoped & dreamed it would be (and more!)  Thank you Maddie!!! xoxoxoxo

So many smiles and fun...I had to post these sweet pics of Noah

Gamma & 2 of her 6 grandsons :))

Today Noah showed Lily around our backyard.  Hand and hand sweetness.

 

I'm literally speechless...therefore "typeless" on this blog right now.  I'm smiling still with joyful tears because it melts my heart like butter to realize this precious girl is ours.  She embraces us with this radiant, endless rainbow of love.  And what is equally heart warming is the enormous strong embrace of love that Lily has received from ALL of our family and friends.  And she still has more to meet!

Speaking of love...I must include a quick story.  I shall say that this is fictional...but it really isn't.  I won't disclose the actual, "real life" names to the characters so that I keep their "identities" in the shadows so that there is no so called "embarrassment."  Ok...so with that disclaimer, I will proceed.  

An incident arose tonight with a child, we will call him, "Jack."  Jack temporarily had it in his head that his mother loved his brother more.  We will call the brother, "Nolan."  The mother questioned Jack as to why he had this "silly notion" in his mind.  Jack responded that his mother spent more time with Nolan.  I responded...I mean, "the mother" responded that this is a crazy notion and proved her point by lovingly describing all the times she has spent with him.  Jack shook his head somewhat convinced.  Then the mother explained, "Jack, I have a special love for you as my first born.  It is no smaller or larger than my love for Nolan.  But it IS special and different.  And my love is another kind of special for your sister (we shall call her "Lila").  Even though she did not come from my body...but  from across the world...my love for her is no larger or smaller than my love for you or Nolan.  Each love is special, different, unique and immense.  And just so you have a clear and BIG vision...think of how God loves you vs. all His other children across the world.  His love for you is no bigger or smaller than anyone else.  He has a special, unique love for you that is immeasurable...eternal.  He designed us in His image to understand that kind of love...not just for our children ... but for all." Jack actually felt better after our little heart to heart ;)
So,  If all Dale & I accomplish in life is showing our children how to embrace and give love...then I think we've done well.  After all, 1Cor 13:13 "And now these three remain:  faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love." 

Just writing that story reminded me of a past blog post, "From the Mouths of Babes." It was a February post about Noah and how he "trumped" my description of how much I loved my kids.  If you missed it...please go back and read it because you'll understand this better.  Bottomline, I would say before bed, "I love you all the way to the moon and around the moon a zillion times and back."  And Noah proclaimed one night, "I love you all the way to God & Jesus."  Yeah... he won! :)  Anyway, I was blown away by this gift from Rosie.  This is something I have wanted for a long time!  But I would have never thought to put Noah's quote around my kids names!  Genius!  And SO THOUGHTFUL!  This is hand-stamped custom jewelry.  Thank you Rosie!  It is BEAUTIFUL! And a treasure I will wear forever to remember this beautiful story!  Thank you!  Thank you!

Love you all!  xoxoxo  D&N

OFF the CHARTS!

On the "cuteness factor" of 1 to 10... Lily is off the charts!  Oh my word is she stink'in  cute!!
I know you all just want to see pictures...so let's just start with that!

Lily would prefer to fall asleep on my bathmat vs. her own bed ;)

She prefers wearing her daddy's shoes

bedtime with jammies AND a bow in her hair;)

This is right before her lab appointment... they took 8 vials of blood!  They test everything on adoptees !!  Poor baby!  She was not this happy after that.   But she was a trooper!

Lily loves wearing her brother's robe too!

Lily wanted nothing to do with the carseat the first few days.  Now?  NO problem!  She does not mind it at all and in fact ...usually falls asleep within the first 5 minutes!

Dale's first work travel away...all 3 kiddos were in my bed and Lily was snuggled up with Noah!  That's Noah's arm underneath her.  So cute!

My mind is reeling still from all the emotions.  We are still witnessing our friends meeting Lily.   Tears start streaming with some of our friends (and you know who you are ;))  I smile with love just typing this because...I get it.  And it's just so cool to have friends that have fallen in love with this baby girl before they even knew her!  So many of you have been on this journey with us...for the past 2 years!  She didn't seem real...and now we all get to hold this love bug.  And she IS a love bug!

Here's a tearful friend who I refer to as one of Lily's "prayer warriors."  Laura met Lily for first time at church tonight.

Thank you Laura and Jim ...and all of our friends who have prayed and continue to pray for our Lily-Bug.   All the prayers...her adjustment...everything has been off the charts...awesome!  As you can see from so many pictures...she has adjusted beautifully.  And so have we.  And I shouldn't be surprised because we knew...we knew this was God's plan for our family.  Perhaps I'll write about that soon on how we knew that.  And wow!  We feel so blessed in all ways!!!  We feel blessed ...off the charts blessed!!!

Ok... back to the cuteness!  And to answer your question...YES...I'm having a ball dressing her!  How adorable is this outfit from Lil' Surprises...downtown Frankfort!

And yes...that IS duct tape around her bottle.  I still have a little "redneck" in me ...and her bottle cracked sooooooo there you have it ;)

Lily is scheduled for her cleft palate surgery on May 13th at Lurie Children's.  I'll keep you posted.

Sorry for the delay on this post.  I do have numerous excuses but primarily I've been enamored with spending time with our boys and this little sweet Lily-Cake.

I know I've said this before...and I have to say it again...but we can't thank you all enough for all the support.  We've had so many cards and letters encouraging us!  Thank you!  I can't tell you enough how much that has meant to us!  And the letters and drawings that came in to the boys while we were gone are priceless!  Thank you all!  I can't possibly write thank you notes for all of them...so please accept this as our "thank you!"

Lots of love, D&N