"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the power and the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen." Ephesians 3:20

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Learning about Lucy




Don't let the puppy dog eyes fool you -- Lucy is a dynamo. She has two volumes: loud and louder. She is able to shriek for no reason for at least 20-30 minutes at a time. She has two speeds: asleep and full-steam ahead. She's a runner and a shrieker. She is VERY strong-willed. So far we have found four foods that suit her fancy: orange juice (which she throws a fit for everytime she sees it), french fries, plain rice, and Oreos. For everything else, she either clenches her mouth shut and refuses to try it, or she tries it and spits it out. Today alone she spit out noodles, chicken, pork, egg, and apple. She can throw a tantrum any 2-yr old would be proud of. I really mean that. She does NOT like the word NO. She and Amelia had their first sisterly fight today, which left Amelia in tears. The good news is that Lucy recovers quickly, and she does not hold a grudge.

We are in a smallish city, so we attract lots of attention. Actually, we attracted attention in Taipei, too. I guess the Taiwanese are not so very accustomed to seeing Chinese children with white foreigners.

Lucy is an angel when she's sleeping, and I have not laughed as hard as I did today in a long time. She is a monkey, a class clown. She repeats anything anyone says. I think she will be a very verbal child one of these days. For now, she shrieks. God bless anyone sitting next to us on the plane home. Precious Lucy -- officially 100 percent my daughter, unofficially still getting to know one another!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

We have Lucy!!!

What an incredible day! We left Taipei around noon today and flew to Taitung. We were met at the airport by the sweet Pan family. They have been the ones overseeing Lucy's care. We made our way to our hotel, where we quickly dropped off our bags, and then we headed straight for the church where Lucy's entrustment to our family took place. It happened so fast, we didn't even have the video camera rolling. Lucy came to me right away - no tears, no meltdowns. The first words spoken by Lucy: "jie jie," which means big sister. She seemed to know that Amelia was her big sister. We talked for awhile with the staff and then left to return to our hotel. Lucy came easily and happily with us - no looking back. She LOVES Amelia and tries to do everything Amelia does. The only tears we had were when she fell and bumped her head. Once she started crying, she could not seem to stop. I think she was having a cathartic cry, which I was happy to see. She is so much more "baby" than Amelia was at this age. She's a snuggle-bug too. I have so much more to write, but Lucy loves the computer and keeps trying to type. I will leave you all with some photos - I know that's what you want anyway!!!






Monday, November 14, 2011

Taking in Taipei...







Today was a day to rest, reset our body clocks, and explore Taipei. We found a great little noodle shop close to our hotel. Amelia checked out the playground equipment at a couple of parks. We walked up and down the streets. We tried out a dumpling restaurant famous for their xiaolongbao (little steamed pork dumplings). Amelia was very good to try everything. She also found a shop she loved: Miss Lulu's Bakery. We decided we'd have to bring Lucy back for a photo op.

This last photo is for my friend Lorene who has a strange fascination with toilets of the world. These are the buttons to control the toilet, which runs on electricity. Notice the seat warmer? Notice the choice of spray action (cool water, warm water, direction)?


Please pray for us tomorrow. We will fly to Taitung around lunchtime and will meet Lucy sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

We made it!








We are here and weary! We figure we were in transit about 28.5 hours in all. Amelia did GREAT. She is a fantastic traveler. I don't think I heard a single, "are we there yet? Our longtime family friend was our pilot from DFW to Tokyo, which means Amelia got extra perks, like visiting the cockpit and getting to take home the original map with the flight plan charted. She also got warm chocolate chip cookies! Thanks, Steve, for getting us here safely. Tomorrow is a bum-around kind of day, and then on Tuesday, it's Lucy Day!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The Packing is Underway!




If you could even see the stacks of stuff I have, you would be saying, "what is she thinking?!" I am not known for packing light. Amelia is even worse than I am. Have no fear! By Saturday, we will be packed, ready, and under the weight limit! The Countdown to Lucy has begun!!!!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Changes coming

Expect a new look, a year's worth of updates, and exciting travel news soon! It's coming! I promise. Amy