Forever Home - 4 Years!

I can't believe it's been 4 years since I first held our sweet Kinley Grace!  Here is the journal entry from Gotcha Day, as posted on Table for Ten:

TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD  Psa 34:8

 

Behold the beauty and praise the Father!

I'll journal about the day later ... but I know what you really want :)

 

 

 

first glimpse!!

album we sent ~ trying to convince her mama and baba are ok....

didn't work

 

getting better

 

family pic ...minus six

 

gifts

 

It's like 90 degrees here - but no complaints!

Mama can't get too far away (!!!!)

My goodness, look at that beautiful face!

 

Amazing big brother!

Down for the count

Hungry girl

 

Yes, Baba does exist

 

 

So I finally get to post about the day.  Ya’ll kept hitting the site and kicking me offline when I was posting pictures … so I decided to leave you alone :)  It’s all good!

In retrospect, I don’t think the reality of getting Kinley Grace today really hit me until we arrived at the Civil Affairs office!  I just kept thinking, “How can it get any better?”  My kids at home are having a blast, Kambry is doing awesome, Andy and Christina are amazing, all my friends keeping the littles during the daytime are giving good reports, Kooper is a.m.a.z.i.n.g!  At what point do we say, “Enough!  We totally don’t deserve Your goodness!”

We arrived at Civil Affairs before 9:30 expecting to see our girl when we topped the stairs.  The emotions had already built to overflow and I was containing a scream… but as we quickly scanned the room there was no sign of our daughter. Two other families were united today, and it was a joy to watch them! 

The director arrived and said the baby was on the way, so we did paper work before she arrived.  Clayton kept asking if he could run to the restroom and I refused … you have to understand something.  When we were near delivery of two of our babies he ran downstairs for lunch one time, coffee another; when we deplaned from China last year he insisted on a pit stop before we saw our kids after three long weeks.  I just didn’t think he needed to miss this special moment!

We were in the middle of placing our thumbprints on documents when Hai Xin entered the room!  I think I screamed, “Forget your thumb – get the camera!”  (My poor husband).  She was fine as long as she was in the arms of the director.  It was painful to continue on with paper work as my baby sat three chairs down.  Finally they gave her a biscuit and handed her to Mama.  Well, not exactly handed her to me.  More like pried her fingers from the director’s clothes as I tried to hang onto her.  The girl can scream!  I’m talking s.c.r.e.a.mlike a girl!

She is absolutely beautiful though.  She has tiny little features, beautiful fingers and the most gorgeous skin. We have been told many times how lucky we are. Lucky, not so much; blessed, beyond measure!

Once she settled down she wouldn’t let go of Mama.  What finally made her think I was ok is when she was handed to Daddy.  She kicked, screamed and reached for Mama.  Whatever works, right?

When we got back to the room she didn’t want me to put her down.  We sat on the bed and played.  We knew Kooper would be awesome with her.  He is a natural big brother.  He makes little noises at her, plays with her hands and gives her objects.  He has never spoken Chinese to her.  He just makes playful noises, and he doesn’t hover.  It’s perfect!

She is off the bottle and eats everything.  She drinks from a cup.  I was able to feed her with chopsticks and a spoon at lunchtime, she really didn’t care.  Right now she’s completely shut down.  She doesn’t like change.  We put her in the Ergo to go to Carrefour.  It was a wrestling match, but once inside she was fine. We purchased some diapers and wipes for the orphanage, some toddler snacks, Kooper snacks, juice and water.  We’re set for our trip to Ningbo tomorrow to get Kinley’s passport.

I can tell Kinley Grace is loved!  Every gift we sent her was returned to us, along with a beautiful keepsake from Ningbo.  They even used the two disposable cameras, and we’re having them developed now.  Possibly the most precious gift is the wrist band she received from the hospital at birth!  It will be a very special keepsake for our precious girl.

I just wanted to share that this afternoon CJ was reading his Bible, and Kooper pointed at it and said Bible in Chinese.  You think I’m a little excited that he at least knows what it is?!? 

Now we can’t wait to skype the kids so they can meet their newest sibling.

We just can’t fathom the goodness of God!  We are in awe!  We praise You, Father!

However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”  1 Cor 2:9