We are home!

Well after a full 24 hours of travel, we are finally home! By the way Lila did great! In my opinion everyone on the big 14 hour flight should have given Lila a round of applause--she could have made the trip miserable for everyone and she did not!!

We all have jet lag once again. Tougher this time because Lila is so young. She is trying to get adjusted to instantly having a big family with 3 brothers, a niece, and 2 sets of grandparents. Not to mention aunts and uncles on both sides. Right now she is pretty scared and fussy. I am glad we had 2 weeks to bond before coming home....
I am anxious for everyone to get to know that cute, funny personality we were getting to know.
I will post some pictures of her being home soon. Have to take some first!

Almost there!

Well Lila has had her medical checkup --she checked out just fine. Thank goodness as this is a requirement/another step to finish the adoption and enter the US. We visited the Guangzhou Zoo which was very large and nice--also has a panda bear that was asleep so really didn't get to see! We did see some red panda though. We have been shopping on Shaiman Island where stuff is just dirt cheap! i got her some shoes for like

$3.oo each! This is a pic of us on Shaiman Island. I can not even begin to tell you how hot and humid it is here. I didn't think anything was more humid than Alabama but this has got that beat by a long shot! We were soaked within just a few mins outside! We have our American Consulate appointment at 7:45 am wednesday to take the oath and obtain Lila's visa/passport--the last and final step! This is what this whole stay has been leading up to! We will take a train on thursday for HongKong (a 3 hr train ride) and then our flight leaves friday morning at 9:20. We arrive home friday afternoon--as we are traveling back in time! That is neat--it would appear to be just a 8 hr flight--but actually it is 15 hrs from HongKong to detroit--we have a 3 hr layover in Detroit then 2 hr flight to B'ham! I got Lila a few cute traditional chinese outfits--these are few pictures.

Shopping!

We went shopping today at Liwan Plaza--a mall that local people visit. It's not the overpriced tourist attractions. Really great prices--esp on traditional chinese dresses which I got Lila 3! Different sizes as she grows. Also most pearls come from here --south china. so those prices are good also as well as jade. Jade mines are located in south china and I believe our guide told us Jade mines are only in china. It was alot of fun but very exhausting. There are alot of people in china--and I think about 1 million were at the mall today! But Lila did great--she is getting more nd more used to us and is showing more of her personality everyday. She even walked back and forth from Darren and I! Very touching moment--she is developing quickly! Now if we can just get her on solid food! We will worry about that when we get home. I do offer her whatever I am eating and sometimes she will give it a lick--so that's a beginning. These are pictures of the shopping mall and random pictures of Lila playing this morning. You can see the happiness coming to her eyes.

Her growing personality

Lila shows us everday a little bit more of her personality. Today she is following us crawling from room to room wherever we are. she is more playful--laughing at us. She is beginning to make noises and fuss when she is not happy. she is also finally starting to take her formula bottle--praise God!! We were so worried about her--she was grieving and had shut down, which we were told kids from orphanages would do. But she has started taking her bottle again!! Our hearts have been broken for her and what she must be going through at such a young age......But we now see flashes of happiness in those big dark eyes--she has a while to go but it is a start. She has not had any solid food in her 14 months of life--as well as some developmental delays which is normal for these kids. She will catch up quickly though--she already has. She is pulling herself up on the furniture and is now playing ball with me. In the beginning she would not even acknowledge we were in the room--now she is playing with us. We treasure being a part of these "firsts" with her and helping her through it. These are some pictures of Lila playing. Also a picture of her living her new good life--asleep in comfy bed with an empty bottle beside her!! More to come of that baby girl!! We went today to the medical clinic here to have her checked out--which is a requirement for her to enter the US. So one more step behind us! We are waiting on her passport and have our American Consulate appt on thursday--which is where she is sworn in as an American citizen. We hold her hand up and recite the pledge of allegience for her! That will be an awesome day! She officially becomes a citizen though when her feet touch US soil!

Getting to know Lila

We are getting to know Lila a little more each day. She is having a little bit of a rough start--grieving the only life she has known for 14 months. We look different from absolutely everyone here and we speak a different language--I can only imagine how scary that would be for even an adult! She doesn't know yet that we are planning on spoiling her--although i did buy her first piece of bling today. A little bracelet that she picked up and fussed when i took it from her--so I bought it and she wore it all day looking at it! She is a beautiful little girl who I can tell has alot of love to give! Today we visited the Chen family Temple--beautiful place. Here a few pictures of the temple and some more of Lila as we get to know her.