We're back!

Online that is! It may be a few days before I catch up on paying bills, answering e-mails, etc. It feels nice to know it is back working. Thanks, Chris for the "check-up."

Sans Computer

Just to let you know . . . I am sending our computer with my parents to visit the computer doctor (aka my brother - Chris) in GA. We will be without a computer until Monday evening at the earliest: no e-mail, no blogs, no surfing. Oh, no!

EEEEW!

That is one of Lily's new words. I wish you could have seen her face when I was changing her diaper this morning! She was dirty and her face was priceless. I never seem to have the camera ready when the pictures would be the cutest.

Cleaning

Lily's favorite thing to do right now is help mommy clean. I have even found a broom her size to use. It always takes longer when she is helping, but who knows how long this will last?

Today, Steve and I came in from the front porch and this is what we found. She was wiping her hand back and forth across the tv screen. Steve went and got her a paper towel. He sprayed some stuff on the screen and she went about cleaning it. She kept asking for more spray.

BTW, we were only outside a couple of seconds, but you know how fast these little munchkins can be!

Spoons & Thermometers!

Steve and I went out for a much needed "date" this past Friday night. It was nice to enjoy a dinner out without worrying about keeping Lily occupied! When my mom arrived, Lily had a spoon and the thermometer down her shirt.

This is a pic I took just before Grandma Robey arrived. I had taken Lily's temperature earlier in the day. She stuck the thermometer through her sweater under her arm. She then found a spoon somewhere and proceeded to try and do the same with it!

Who needs clothing?

Yesterday Lily figured out how to get her overalls down to her ankles and eventually completely off!

Church Update

Today I spent Sunday School in the younger nursery with Lily. Then I left to go to church. She wasn't happy when I left, but calmed just a couple short minutes. The workers said that she did SOOOO much better. I am hoping that this progress will continue.

I am praising God this morning! This is the first time in awhile that I have been able to sit through and enjoy church.

Steve's Office

Last night, a man crashed a car into the building that houses the athletic training room that Steve uses. His office lies only about 20 ft from where the car went into the building. Fortunately, there was no one was in the building at the time.

No one has been able to get inside to see what they can salvage. The hole in the wall is the wall that the treatment tables and modalities are/were sitting. The news story is calling it the visitor's locker room, but it was the training room. Here is a link to the news feed:

http://www.wset.com/news/stories/0208/494913.html

If God is for us, who can be against us?

This song has been on my mind most of the evening. It is something I need to drill into my head on a daily basis - especially as the day draws closer to when Steve might be heading off to PA school.

On Our Side by Chris Tomlin

Verse 1
Everyone around the world
Hear the joyful sound
See the heavens open up
Hear the music coming down
Nothing's gonna separate us from the Father's love
I can't help but celebrate
'Cause we're not alone

Chorus
If God is on our side
Who can be against us?
If God is on our side
We won't be afraid
Though the mountains may fall
And the sky will crumble
There ain't nothin' gonna stand in our way

Verse 2
Come on down to the riverside
Wash it all away
Leave behind your troubled mind
For an uncloudy day
Nothing's gonna separate us from the Father's love
I can't help but celebrate'
Cause we're not alone.

Picture

I posted an old pic. I wanted it to go under the day it was taken, so just click here and it will take you to the post and thus the picture.

http://threecountryfamily.blogspot.com/2008/11/bethany-picnic.html

Woo Hoo!

Enough of those Pats! Congrats to Eli. At least, they kept it in the Manning family. We would've preferred to see Peyton there, but . . .

Lily did a good job at the Super Bowl Party. We think she does better when she is left to kind of do her own thing - instead of being the center of attention. She didn't seemed bothered by the tv or the number of people. We went prepared thinking we would probably have to leave not long after arriving, but were able to stay until half-time as planned.

Lily and Church

Well, it was yet another semi-stressful morning. Lily just seemed to be really overwhelmed. She made it through most of Sunday School, but we got paged because she was crying. Steve stayed with her until SS was over. I took over and tried to leave a few times, but her nursery room seemed to really be stressing her out even with me there.

The nursery she is in is for 18 mths - nearly 3. I took her into the nursery for birth to 18 mths and the change in her countenance was nearly instaneous! Less kids, less stimulation, less commotion. She played soooo much better. I told her that mommy was going to the other room to get her water and walked out. She didn't even flinch. I had a worker give her the water and just went into the service.

I did some more reading on attachment via the internet while she napped. I am convinced that her behavior is related to her personality and over-stimulation/stress and not attachment. This is good and bad. It's good, because it isn't attachment related. It's bad, because it is related to the nursery that she is supposed to be in. So yes, it was yet another stressful Sunday, but I think we are closer to finding a solution.

Do you see the difference?

We saw Lily's beautiful face one year ago today. Lily and I went out to eat with a few families from the adoptive family group from Lynchburg, so she is wearing her Chinese outfit. I asked Lily to sit in her chair and smile. I was only able to get a couple shots taken before she wanted to "see, see." She loves looking at herself on the LCD screen.

One Year Ago

One year and three hours ago, I received the phone call that would turn my world upside down!

Here is an excerpt from our adoption testimony:

We will never forget the day we received the phone call telling us that we had a daughter. We can’t keep from telling it as it is a testament of God’s peace, providence, and timing. Jen was volunteering at our church on Thursday mornings. Thursday, February 1st, was no different. We knew that referrals were arriving in Europe, but truly thought we might get skipped or at the very least not hear anything until the next day. Jen didn’t even keep the cell phone with her as she worked. Something made her go get the phone – just in case. As she was walking down the hall to find the phone, it rang! She immediately knew who was calling and what it was about as NO ONE had that number.

Thank you God for such a beautiful gift. I can't thank you enough for Lily. She was made for this family! Thank you, birth parents! I will probably never know you, but we are thankful for the life you gave Xiaohong. We think of you both often and wish we could share our daughter with you.

Okay . . . I need to go have a good cry and then compose myself before Lily gets up. Boy, what a wild ride this year has been.