Happy 5th Anniversary of our LID!!!!

I have been very negligent about writing since we got home from China.  I have SO many things to share, but I devote every spare minute I have to Molly Kate, and I must say, I am LOVING it!!!!
Today is a special day for us, though, because it was five years ago on May 29, 2006 that we were officially logged in to adopt.  May 29 has been special for us each year since then, but we are so thankful to have the Molly Katherine Pierce we waited for in our arms this year as we celebrate!!!  We actually waited a little over five years for her from the time we began the adoption process, but we know with all our hearts and souls that she was DEFINITELY worth the wait!!!!  That's what I keep telling my friends who are still waiting for their precious China doll.  I may have mentioned this before, but I truly think we appreciate her more because we DID have to wait so long for her!!!  God had everything under control all along, and I'm so glad we were able to trust Him and truly believe that.

I hope to get caught up soon on entries I would like to add to this blog.  I also want to add pictures so you can all see how Molly Kate has truly bloomed in the three months we have had her.  Yesterday was our three month anniversary of her adoption.  It is unbelievable how much she has changed in those three months.  She doesn't even look the same---not that her physical features have changed that much.  She just has just come out of her shell!!!  She wakes up with a big smile on her face, and that smile is the last thing I see when I put her to bed every night.  Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, DEAR LORD for blessing us with this child!!!!!

ONE MONTH LATER......

One month ago today, February 27, 2011, our lives changed forever.  It was on that day, that a crying baby was placed in my arms.  It was the day that she left the only life she had ever known----life in an orphanage.  She was not only handed over forever to people she had never seen before, but also to people who looked nothing like her.  I will never forget holding her in my arms as she cried her little heart out, but as I held her close and told her, "Mama loves you SO much!" she slowly stopped crying.  She allowed me to hold her close and she laid her little head on my shoulder. I truly think at that early moment, God bonded our hearts forever.  My love for her could not have been any stronger.  She may not have been conceived within me, but the truth of the matter is that I had carried her in my heart from the beginning.  I thought she was the  most beautiful baby girl I had ever seen----just like I had thought my boys were the most beautiful boys ever when I gave birth to them.

February 27, 2011

I don't think any of us truly realized what an impact Molly Kate would have on our lives.  I knew things would change for us, and I truly felt like I was ready for that change.  Okay, I have to confess that I wondered if we would bond, or if I would think she was cute.   I even allowed myself, one brief moment, to wonder if I was REALLY up to being a mother again----could I really handle it?  On the Saturday night before we left for China, I made a trip to Walmart---my "get ready for the baby" trip.  It took me almost two hours to get everything I thought we would need for our soon to be Molly Kate, and as I was standing in the check out line with my shopping cart overflowing with diapers, baby wipes, bibs, baby powder, baby lotion, butt cream, etc., and as others were looking my way and probably thinking, "She must be getting ready for a grandchild!" I looked up and said to myself, "WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE WE DOING?!?!?!"  The day before we left I was SO stressed from having to get everything packed for our trip for everyone....I just looked forward to the moment we were finally on the plane!!!  Once I reached that point, though, I knew we were doing exactly what God wanted us to do, and what we had been waiting over FIVE LONG YEARS for.  The wee trace of doubt I had allowed to enter my mind (never my heart) disappeared.  WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO GET OUR BABY GIRL!!!!

Oh, how our lives have changed!!!!!  If life was any better, I don't think I could stand it!!!!  I can't explain what it's like to wake up each morning and look over in the Pack 'n Play next to our bed and see the sweetest little face looking up at me with the brightest of smiles, dimples showing all over her face.  And when she says to me, "MY MAMA," my heart melts.  Molly Kate is the sweetest, happiest baby!  She smiles and giggles.....she LOVES to cuddle and snuggle.  We don't share her to be held by a lot of people yet, because we want her to be totally bonded to us and know that we aren't going to leave her, but she sure has a lot of those sweet smiles to share with others----smiles so big that her eyes almost disappear.

March 27, 2011

SO, what does everyone else in our family think about Molly?  All three of her brothers are absolutely CRAZY about her!!!!  Evan gave up a trip to Florida for spring break (his senior year) to come home to spend the week with her.  He's already planning to come home again this weekend, and I don't think it's to see Roger and me!  The minute Keaton hits the door each day, he heads her way to do "the tickle monster" with her.  Even though I really don't like the phrase, I had to laugh the other day when Keaton had gone in to check on her as she was sleeping. When he came back out, he said, "Mom, she's just so FREAKIN' cute!"  Shea was crazy about her from the first moment she was placed in our arms.  He was the best help while we were in China, and even though he's gone a lot from home, he heads her way as soon as he comes in the door.  I saw an entry on his Facebook a couple of days ago that said, "Things are on the up and up, and I love my sister!"  You know, I think we ALL agree that she's a keeper!!!!  Even B.B. and Sophie Grace (our precious pups) and Allie (our cat) love her!!!!  She was terrified of them at first, but now she accepts their licks of love with giggles and squeals.  Well, SOMETIMES she still lets us know that she's had enough!!!

We have had so many people tell us that Molly Kate is such a lucky little girl.  I know I've said this before, but WE are truly the lucky ones.  Roger and I have been blessed with a precious daughter....a life that has already SO enriched our lives.  God is SO good!!!!!!

WE ARE HOME!!!!!---AND THE PARTY HAS JUST BEGUN!!!!!

I realize that I'm writing this almost a week after we actually arrived home from China.  The delay isn't because we have needed time to adapt and adjust to our new life----it's because I've just been having TOO MUCH FUN playing with our sweet baby girl, that I really haven't thought a lot about posting a message!!!
I guess since it's 2:00 A.M., and I'm having to pull the graveyard shift to do laundry, AND our baby girl is sound asleep, I can take a little time to tell you about our trip home.

We left Guangzhou at 10:30 on Thursday morning, March 10.  Even though I was VERY ready to see my family, friends, and pets, it was rather bittersweet to leave China.  I realized that we were taking our precious daughter away from her homeland---her heritage, but at the same time, I knew, without a doubt, that we were taking her to a NEW country---a NEW home where life could offer her SO much more than she could have ever dreamed of in China.

Needless to say, I dreaded the LONG flight home, with Molly Kate who absolutely hated riding on the bus every time we had an outing.  I figured if she didn't like bus rides, she probably wouldn't like plane rides, either.  I prayed A LOT about our trip home.  I just wanted Molly Kate to be able to rest, and not be miserable for so many hours.  My prayers were answered.  Even though she did fuss some, we really had a good trip---LONG, but managable.  We DID have one episode, though, that I MUST share.

Let me start out by saying, that we made a mistake by not buying a seat on the plane for Molly Kate.  I LOVED the closeness of holding her, but even had we not used the extra seat for her, had we had one, it would have been nice to set the diaper bag in to give more leg room.  We opted, though for the lap seat, so we had to make the best of it.  (The NEXT time I WILL buy a seat for the baby!!!!---the NEXT TIME?????!!!!!!!)  ANYWAY, I had held Molly Kate for quite some time, and she had taken a nap.  She woke up, though, and it was obvious that she was tired of being held, so I sat her on the floor right in front of my seat, by the diaper bag.  She was happy.  She laid her head over on the diaper bag, so I figured she was still sleepy.  She was hot when she woke up, and I had stripped her down to her shirt and diaper.  I put a blanket and my jacket on the floor, and had her lie back on it.  She immediately stretched out and fell back asleep.  I had a little problem.  She kept stretching her legs out, and her tiny feet would stick out in the aisle, so I had to stay awake and keep my foot at the end of her feet to keep them pushed in so they wouldn't get stepped on or run over by a food or drink cart going down the aisle. WELL, our little angel slept for FIVE STRAIGHT hours!!!!  It was GREAT!!!! When she awoke, she was in the BEST mood, BUT there was a SERIOUS problem!!!! 

Let me back up a little and tell you that Roger and I had done some problem solving before we ever started our flight home.  Molly Kate came to us potty trained---that is, she is potty trained, as long as she has her potty chair.  SO, we got the smart idea that we could remove the SEAT of the potty chair and I could take it to the bathroom on the plane, and set it on the commode seat, and Molly Kate could use the bathroom as normal.  Let me tell you, that may SOUND easy, but on my first AND last attempt to do this, I found out that it was quite a difficult task. Those bathrooms just aren't BIG enough to hold a baby, put at potty chair seat on the commode, take the diaper off the baby, and stand and say "Ba Ba'" for 30 minutes.  The noise in the bathroom from the engine of the plane, and the potty seat's instability on the commode were enough to convince Molly Kate that Daddy's and Mommy's idea just wasn't going to work.  That meant  we had to rely totally on diapers for the bathroom jobs.  Since we discovered from the beginning that Molly Kate could probably win any POOPING CONTEST against any other child OR adult, we were a little concerned about what might happen.

Back to the five hour nap......As I think I've already said, Molly Kate woke up in a GREAT mood,  but when I got ready to pick her up, it was obvious that she felt MUCH better, not simply because of the long nap.  She had pooped SO much, that it had OOZED out of the top of her diaper, all the way up her back, and UNDER her on the plane floor, SO much that there was a nice BIG pile of POOP!!!!  Needless to say, I couldn't just pick her up and carry her to the bathroom, because we would have left a poop trail all the way.  I did what any good mother would do.  I proceeded to sit down in the middle of the aisle on the plane and start cleaning her up.  Well, it didn't take long for the stewardess to approach with a can of spray deoderant and tell me that I couldn't sit there and change her---that I had to take her to the bathroom.  I tried to explain that I couldn't pick her up in the condition she was in---she insisted that I couldn't change her there.  I was rather ticked....I mean, what was she going to DO about me sitting there????---kick me off the plane?!?!  I continued to clean as quickly as I could, and then when I felt I got her to the point she wouldn't drip down the aisle, AND I had also cleaned up the floor as best as I could, I wrapped her in the blanket and proceeded to head to the bathroom---you, know, the bathroom that isn't big enough to turn around in while ALONE, much less with a child who has POOP all over her.  I got the changing table down from the wall, though, and eventually, I had a spotless Molly Kate.  I washed out her clothes, and I gave the poopy blanket to a stewardess and asked for clean one, which I took back to my seat, and then folded and put it on the floor over where Molly Kate had leaked (I did clean it as well as I could before I did that, so don't say, "Yuck!!")  And, where was Roger during all of this?  I don't exactly remember, but I'm quite sure he was either, playing games on the screen in front of him, listening to music, or snoring, which he did a lot of on the trip home.  Oh, well......

LUCKILY, Molly Kate didn't have another dirty diaper until we got to Atlanta, and was waiting in immigration.  We actually had to wait in immigration long enough for her to have had TEN dirty diapers.  Let me say that the evening shift gets in NO hurry there.  In fact, it took them SO long for them to open our "MYSTERIOUS SEALED BROWN ENVELOPE" that we missed our flight to Nashville.  By the time immigration got to us, and said their few words and sent us on our way, with our little girl made in China, who was now OFFICIALLY a U.S citizen, it was ten minutes before our flight was supposed to leave, and we hadn't even been through customs.  We were advised to rebook our flight.  Luckily, there was a flight leaving about three hours later, and we were lucky enough---no, BLESSED enough----to get the last three available seats on the plane.  In everything bad, there's something good (my favorite saying).  After we rebooked, we went to customs.  We were a little concerned about having trouble there, because of stories we had heard.  Roger had bought a set of golf clubs in Guangzhou, and I had 18 birthday candles that were actually a form of fireworks, spread out in our five suitcases....we weren't sure that they wouldn't be confiscated there.  I think, though, we looked a little ragged and worn to the main officer working customs, and I think, too, when he asked if there was anything else in Roger's golf bag, and Roger replied, "Only dirty underwear," he had mercy on us and just let everything pass through.  I honestly don't think any of our suitcases were even opened!

We arrived in Nashville sometime around midnight, and my mother and Phyllis, my sister-in-law, were waiting for us to drive us home!!!  It was SO nice to be able to ride and not have to drive ourselves.  I was concerned how Molly Kate would react to riding in a carseat for the first time.  She was as snug as a bug in a rug in it, and went to sleep.  She never fussed all the way home. 

When we pulled in the driveway, there were pink balloons tied to the mailbox, and a cute sign taped to our door welcoming Molly Kate home.  Our sweet neighbor next door had done the decorating.  Molly Kate is blessed to have a playmate who is only three days older than her.  His name is Tate.  The sign was from hiim!!

Once we got everything unloaded, we decided we were hungry.  We had food on the plane---YUCK---and we really needed some nourishment.   Roger and Shea went to Waffle House and ate breakfast, and then brought food back for me.  I got Molly Kate settled in the Pack 'n Play in our room, and by the time Roger and I got in bed, it was getting daylight outside.  We slept until almost noon on Friday.

Roger is still suffering from jet lag.  I haven't had time to have it yet, since we now have a little sweetheart to take care of!!!!   I'm glad to be home, and have that LONG plane ride behind me, but I DO hope to go back to China some day!!!!

I have new pictures of Molly Kate, but I will post those later.  I will add another entry soon, and tell you all about her!!!

OUR TRIP IS ABOUT OVER, BUT THE REAL JOURNEY HAS JUST BEGUN.....

 It is 2:00 AM in Guangzhou.  We are leaving at 10:30 AM for the airport to start our LONG trip back home.  It's hard to believe that it has been TWO weeks since I was running around frantically, trying to get everything ready for not only Roger and me, but also for Molly Kate for a two week stay in China, and NOW that two weeks is almost over.....

We are getting ready to take our daughter away from the country of her birth to a new home almost 8,000 miles away.  But you know, she left the only life she had known from birth the day we took her in our arms.  That was truly the day her new life began.  It has been amazing to watch Molly Kate as she's observed her surroundings each day.  When we were in Nanchang, she was SO quiet, and even when we were in public, or with the other families in our group, the only sound she ever made, IF she made any sound at all, was to cry.  Tonight when we were eating our evening meal with Greg and Tami Staut and their precious baby Marissa, (one of the DEAR families in our travel group), Molly Kate was babbling and smiling, and leaning over to me to give me LOTS of loving.  She was reaching out to Marissa and truly acknowledging that there was another child in her presence.  When we left the restaurant, we did some last minute shopping, and she smiled at every person who talked to her.  Ten days ago before Molly Kate was delivered to our hotel, we were given updated information about her.  We were told that she was shy, bashful, introverted, and cried when she saw strangers.  That information was very true.  I said, WAS.....  Our little lady has certainly come out of her shell!!!!  She is still cautious around strangers, and her real security is with Roger, Shea, and me.  We can tell that our bond with her gets stronger every day, and that's exactly what she needs.  If you are one of the lucky people who is going to get to meet our Molly Kate in person, please don't be offended if she doesn't want to be held by you.  We want to be careful not to overwhelm her.  We want her, though, to love everyone and just be a sweet, happy little girl.  With time, we truly believe she is going to be a little social butterfly!!!  I can promise you that when you see her smile, it will truly melt your heart.....

SO, our trip is just about over, but the REAL journey has just begun.  Molly Kate will always be our little girl "made in China," but once we land in Atlanta at 9:05 on Thursday night, she will officially be an AMERICAN!!!!! 

Roger and I can't thank you enough for all the prayers that we know have been lifted for us and for our sweet baby.  PLEASE don't stop praying for us now!!!!  We know we still have lots of adjustments and routines to get in to in the coming days.  Our life has been changed forever.... but, OH HOW MUCH SWEETER it is now!!!!!



How sweet it is to be loved by you....



RED COUCH DAY!!!!!

Can our smiles get any bigger?

We have had the BEST DAY today that we've had since GOTCHA DAY!!!!!  I don't think Molly Kate has cried once today----not even on the shuttle ride to the Pearl Market this morning.  That was our first destination of the day.  I came away with a strand of pearls for Molly Kate on her wedding day!  I also bought a couple of other gifts.   We were in an area of shopping that stretched for TEN city blocks.  After the Pearl Factory shopping spree, we walked the streets with the Greg and Tami and their beautiful adopted daughter, Marissa, one of the other families in our group.  Our window shopping was interrupted by rain, though, and the fact that Tami and I REALLY needed to use the bathroom, and the squatty potties in the public restrooms just didn't appeal to us!!!!

We took a taxi back to our hotel and lounged around awhile, and then we headed back out on another short shopping adventure.  We had laundry to pick up, as well as a couple of more items we had specifically intended to buy.  We made our stops, and then headed back to the hotel to get Molly Kate ready for the RED COUCH picture.  I think I explained that this picture is one that is made of all the babies in our travel group, as well as individual family pictures.  I will be perfectly honest---I had prepared myself for Molly Kate to be the ONE baby out of the group who would cry when the picture was made.  WRONG!!!!  I think our sweetie was actually the only one who DIDN'T cry.  In fact, she seemed to enjoy all the cameras flashing!!  I wonder if that could possibly be because we have taken no less than 500 pictures of her in the nine days we've had her!!!!!



Girls, the camera is this way!



Hey, Mom!  How do I look?

Do you see that cute little boy?

Dad, he's got his arm around me.
 Mason was adopted from Korea last July. 
His family is adopting a new sister from China.

I can't explain how much Molly Kate has changed since that first moment I took her into my arms.  She really is no longer the quiet, shy baby in the group.  She babbles and laughs and smiles, just like the other girls do.  She's actually becoming quite a clown, too, and she LOVES to snuggle and be smooched on!!!  I know I've said this a MILLION times, but she is just SOOOOOOO precious!!!!

"Mona Lisa Smile"
Oh yeah.... I'm loved!

Tonight, four out of the five families in our travel group ate at Lucy's, an American food restaurant by our hotel.  One of our families, the Newbill's, will be leaving tomorrow for Hong Kong.  This is sad for all of us.  There is no way to explain the bond that has developed among five families who, thirteen days ago, had never met.  Even though the rest of us will be going our separate ways on Thursday, we will be connected in our hearts forever and will have friendships that last for a lifetime.  There will be that invisible thread that stretches from San Antonio, Texas to Denver, Colorado, to Benton, Kentucky, to Woodbridge, Virginia, to Raeford, North Carolina.  It is a connection that only those who have adopted internationally can understand.  My life has been changed PROFOUNDLY since we first decided to adopt.  God has blessed me with true friends all of the country who have already been where we are now.  God IS so good!!!!!!

Our travel group.

THE PAPERWORK IS DONE!!!!!

The Happy Pierce Family!

Today was a big day for us.  It was the day of our consulate appointment to turn in all of our paperwork for Molly Kate's visa, and also the day that our group took "THE OATH."  It was an emotional moment for me, because I knew it was the final step we had to finish to be able to bring Molly Kate home with us, although she was officially ours----no giving her back or anyone taking her back---LAST Monday.  I was a little disappointed in the oath we took.  I wanted to raise my hand and promise that I was going to love my daughter with all my heart and soul and try to be the best mother to her that I can possibly be until the day I die.  Instead the oath was simply swearing that everything we had stated in our paperwork was true.  Oh, well.....I made the other promise in my heart, anyway!!!

We sat and waited for our name to be called to turn in the paperwork for the visa.  Usually, this is a long, grueling wait, but today it wasn't bad at all.  There were no problems with our paperwork, we paid the money for the visa, and we were DONE!!!!!!!  THE PAPERWORK IS OVER!!!!!!!!  Tomorrow, Maggie, our guide, will have Molly Kate's visa for her passport, and we will also receive the mysterious "brown envelope" that MUST stay sealed until we go through customs when we land in Atlanta.  As soon as our plane lands in Atlanta, Molly Kate will be a U.S. citizen!!!!

After we left the Consulate's Office, we boarded the bus to come back to the hotel.  Molly Kate HATES riding on the bus, so that meant she had a nice LOUD meltdown.  The minute we stepped off the bus at the hotel, she fell asleep.  We brought her back to the room, and she didn't even wake up as I was undressing her.  I had gotten her up around 5:45 AM, and she was simply exhausted.  After a three hour nap, though, she was ready for the daily shopping!!!!

OKAY----I have to confess.....I have bought 14 pairs of shoes for her in the last two days.  They are just SOOOOO cheap, though.  Where in the United States can you buy CUTE LEATHER baby shoes for $5?  NOWHERE!!!!  I'm just trying to stock up for the next TEN YEARS!!!!  Actually, I just bought her size now, and the next size.  Her feet are TINY, and the shoes look precious on her.  I figure if I don't have anything to go with the shoes I bought, I will just have to BUY something to go with them!!!!

We went to a store today that is my FAVORITE of all.  It is Guangzhou's Charity Store for China's Children.  Many of the products are made at the orphanages, and at the homes for the elderly.  There were SO many nice things.  I found some really special gifts there for Molly Kate, and for family and friends. I bought the CUTEST diaper bag, and I'm thinking I really want to go back and buy the matching baby quilt.  I would like to save it for when Molly Kate has her first child. 

Tonight, we went on a cruise on the Pearl River.  Let me tell you, Guangzhou is beautiful in the daytime, but at night, it is unbelievable!!!!  The cruise was nice.  A buffet meal was included.  All I can say about the meal is that I'm glad the food items weren't labeled because I have a feeling I would die if I knew what some of the things I ate really were.  It wasn't my favorite meal, but the cruise, itself, was worth the sacrifice!!!  After our meal, we went up on the top deck of the boat and sat outside to soak in the view.  I am going to attach some pictures.  One of the most beautiful sights was the Guangzhou Tower.  It is the second tallest building in the world.  The entire tower is covered with lights that change colors.  One minute it is a solid color, then another, and another---and THEN, it is ALL of the colors.  It was very windy and cool tonight, but it was such a peaceful happy time for me to sit there and snuggle Molly Kate, all bundled up in her blanket, while enjoying the view!!!

The Guangzhou Tower

  

The  bridge from the mainland to Shamien Island where we are staying.

 The bus ride back to the hotel was similar to the one back from the Consulate's this morning.  Our girl was NOT a happy camper.  It had been a LONG time since her nap, and she was just ready to get back to the room and strip down to her diaper!!!  I was quite ready for my PJ's, too!!!

Tomorrow morning we are heading to the Pearl Factory (I think Roger is a little stressed about THIS shopping venture!!!!)  Tomorrow afternoon will be the famous red couch pictures for each family and for our girls.  I can't wait for you to see the five pretty little ladies we have been so blessed to be with this week!!!

Pretty in pink!

LITTLE GIRLS AND GIGGLES!