This Baby Girl

 This baby girl always wears this smile.  Always.  She is the most precious, happiest little thing I have ever known and she melts this momma's heart.  I had a dear friend asked how she can pray for me now as I transition and I honestly couldn't name one thing , aside from generalities, because everything about adding this baby has been a true, true joy.

 Would you just look at her..She LOVES life.  She was adorable racing her big sister down the side by side slides and, you can see, it made her very happy.

 I can't believe how she played at the park this week.  She can do just about everything her sisters can.  It is amazing.  She is a tiny little peanut, but she is mighty.

 She even went down the twisty slide all by herself.  She climbed up two flights of stairs to the landing and off she went while I caught her at the bottom.  She is only twenty pounds and 30 inches tall.  She is only wearing 12 months clothes, but she doesn't let anything stop her.  Unbelievable.

 I just can't believe that God would bless me with these beauties as He has.  How I love them.  There is nothing in the world that makes me happier than an afternoon playing at the park with these girls.

 They are learning so much about each other and, this morning, Molly Kate let Anna Mei feed her.  Anna was over the moon.  She kept saying.."she trusts me mom.  she let me feed her. we belong together. she is my sister." PRECIOUS!

It is just the four of us this week as DH and our oldest are on a mission trip.  We have enjoyed each moment, but when I stood back at the park and got this view of all three of them my heart was just full.  It baffles me that God would create these beautiful children a half a world away and intend for them to be mine.  AMAZING!  Truly adoption is a miracle!

Jillian is crazy about the rock climbing wall lately.  She conquered her fear of them while I was gone in China and now she is glued to them.  It makes me so happy to see her overcoming her fears and enjoying life!

 One of Jilly's games on the wall involves placing wood chips on the climbing spots.  Molly Kate watched and watched her.  Then, she started placing chips herself.

Loving these beauties and caring for them makes life so full and so busy, but so very good.

Water and Sand! Oh My!

Awe..Summer!  I absolutely love it.  I love hanging in the backyard in our swim suits in the hot, sticky air more than just about anything.  We live outside.  Molly Kate is fitting right in with our summer activities as you can see.  This girl was pretty pleased with holding the hose.

 She is growing more and more comfortable with water which is a relief because we are a water loving family.

 This lady of mine couldn't be happier with living outside.  She stays out long after the younger two have had their fill.

 She can splash, dig, and climb for hours.  I mean hours, and be just as happy as a lark.

We recently built the girls a huge sandpit.  Anna Mei is spending lots of time building and creating all sorts of things.  Her little mind is always, always imagining something.  Hoping for some more hot weather this week, and some breaks from the rain to enjoy our yard even more!

Happy Father's Day

In the few quiet minutes  I have this morning, I wish I could come up with the words to say all that this man is to us.  Father. Husband. Leader. Love. He is a constant, Godly figure in our home who serves us without regard to himself.  He spends countless hours at the park, in the mud, and swinging because that speaks love into his treasures' hearts. He commits his own heart and his love to our children even when they are a half a world a way and welcomes them with open arms.  He leads us, prays for us, and loves us like nothing I have ever seen.  He is ours and we are so very blessed to have it.  Happy Father's Day.  We love you!

Boy, Does She Bring Us JOY

 This little one does everything her sisters do.  She is constantly watching them and modeling their every move.  Anna Mei has been building with every kind of block she can get her hands on.  These are great fine motor building activities for Molly Kate so I am glad she is joining in.

 They built airplanes together one morning with bristle blocks and it was darling.  Molly Kate would model "flying" her plane just as Anna was.

 Molly Kate even follows her sisters right up the ladder to the slide in the backyard.  My other two girls couldn't even begin to do anything like this the first months they were home.

Anna and I spent the morning at "garage stores".  This is what Anna Mei calls garage sales.  We scored this infant swing that attached to our bar in the door way.  We had one when the other girls were little and they loved it.  Molly loved it too.  It will be so helpful this winter and on rainy days.  This smile, this little lady..she is a JOY to have around.  We love, love, love her.  I have never seen a little one fit so perfectly in a family so quickly.  She is a dream who waited far too long for a momma and daddy to claim her, but if she hadn't, she wouldn't be mine.  Rejoicing she is mine this morning because I can't imagine life without her.

Spaghetti

 There is something absolutely adorable about a toddler all covered in spaghetti.

 And this toddler ate three full trays so she was pretty covered.

 She is eating like a horse and we are thrilled.

 She loves all vegetables, hummus, yogurt, rice, shrimp, fish, and spicy/savory things.  She does eat leches and mandarin oranges like there is no tomorrow.  She loves bananas right now too.

 She tried a few bites of a cookie and didn't even finish it.  She is feeding herself so well and is a slow eater.  She will spend an hour in her high chair every meal savoring every bite.  It is a blessing to have our family sharing a meal around the table together.  Praising God this little one is home!

Her First Sunday

We attended worship for the first time at Cedar Valley with our newest treasure on Sunday.  She went up front in her Daddy's arms and he introduced her to everyone.  They clapped and cheered for her. What a change has taken place in this little one's life in the last week.  Truly, my heart overflows with JOY that God has allowed it.  I take time often to think about all that He must have planned for her life and how He has used her already.  It is humbling to think that He has given me a small part of rearing these beautiful girls for Him.  I wait with great anticipation to see just what He has in store for each of my daughter's lives and I am enjoying each moment with them so very much.
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

So Very Blessed

 Our Anna Mei had her dance recital yesterday afternoon and she was absolutely beautiful.  When the show was finished and she was presented with these flowers by her adoring family, she said fank you, fank you again and again.  My did we have our hands full getting her ready and out the door with all the littles in toe, but with all hands on deck we made it.

I can't believe that we are so blessed.  What an incredible, spunky, passionate little girl this four year old has become.  She is such an incredible big sister.  This morning she was packing her purse for church.  I listened as she named off all the things she needed...a snack for Molly Kate, a comb for Molly Kate, a chewy toy for her, a diaper...so precious that she was modeling exactly what I was doing when packing the diaper bag and thinking about caring for her baby sister.  I told her that I loved her so much my heart could burst as she is growing into a strong, responsible young lady.  Then she looked at me a little while later when I was giving Molly Kate her bottle and said.. "I like Molly Kate so much my heart could burst. She is my baby sister!"  It is overwhelming to me at times that she is such a mirror of me.  I am in no way qualified for this and, yet, she looks to me for everything.  Being a mother to these girls that God has given me is such a tremendous privilege and I thank Him today, and everyday, for the blessing of them.

A Girl and Her Purse

 Little Miss isn't napping.  This has actually been a great thing because every afternoon she and I can play without our big sisters joining in.  Boy do I love having some time with this babe.  She is so charming, so easy going, and that smile is always, always on her face.  She decided, as we were playing, to carry her purse.  Then she began to get out the objects that are inside and she was adorable.  I couldn't resist getting it on film.

 She needed to apply some lipstick.

 Then she had some phone calls to catch up on.

Isn't she just precious?  She is so bright.

Listen as she "answers" the phone..

Despite being stone silent most of our China trip, she is really coming out of her shell and we are so enjoying her.  It is so fun to have a two year old in our family again.  We love, love this little babe more than words can say!  We are so excited to watch her growing.

Playing Blocks and Taking a Bath

This little one's transition into our family has been a dream.  She is truly an absolute doll baby.  She is beginning to be into everything, model all that her sisters do, and that smile she constantly wears is a show stopper!  I brought the mega blocks out to the living room yesterday and all the girls have been playing with them as if they have never seen them before.  Of course, Molly Kate loves them too and can already pull them apart, push them together, and build all sorts of things even with those unique hands of her.  She is truly amazing!

She also has not been a fan of water so I have been bathing her in the sink while she cries through most of it.  Last night though, she watched her sisters get right in the big tub and started to take her clothes off too.  They splashed and carried on something precious.

These days are so very blessed and overflowing with JOY because this sweet baby is home with her family!

Adorable and More Good News

I had the girls by myself for the first time last night as DH had youth group.  I figured out how to position the girls at the dinner table so I could feed Molly Kate with one hand and Jillian with the other.  It worked out wonderfully!  I was pretty pleased with how amazingly well they all did.  We had dinner and played outside in the baby swimming pool afterward.  It was a blessed evening.

Sweet Molly was finishing up eating while I was cleaning up the kitchen.  She started singing to herself and just about went to sleep.  It was adorable.

We also had the early intervention team meet with us this morning in our home.  They evaluated our Molly's development-cognitive, fine/gross motor, language, and emotional.  Our incredible little one is not even delayed enough in any of these areas to receive any consistent therapy.  She scored at least 18 months on each of her evaluations with the exception of language!  Even her fine motor skills are very close to age appropriate coming out at above 20 months!  This is amazing given her little hands, and the fact that she was institutionalized for the first two years of her life.  She doesn't let anything slow her down.  She can do nearly everything anyone else can do.  Her language was, of course, delayed , but because she hasn't been in an English speaking environment until two weeks ago, she can't yet receive services for that.

Yesterday, we met with our amazing pediatrician and planned out her next few months medically.  Her initial exam didn't reveal anything out of the ordinary.  Her heart sounds normal and, while she is tiny being only in the 1st percentile for height and weight, she seems healthy.  We have lots of tests to run.  Geneticists to see, blood work to be done, Shriner's Hospital to visit, and lots of shots in the future, but for now, we can just enjoy this little one.  It is good friends!  It is good!

Our First Day At the Beach As a Family of Six

A family of six? Typing that makes me giggle as I never wanted a large family.  I sure never dreamed any of this for our life, but it is so good.  We love the beach.  It is one of our favorite places in the whole wide world.  It is only a twenty minute drive for us and it is totally free. What could be better? I remember sitting at the shores of this lake last August naming Molly Kate and now she is here with us!

 This is definitely Jillian's absolute favorite activity.  She LOVES the beach.  She was thrilled to be here.

Molly Kate doesn't love water so she didn't go near it much, but she enjoyed shoveling the sand in her bucket.  And isn't she adorable in her sun hat?

Anna Mei has grown so much since last summer.  She is a big girl who is so helpful and she loved being at the beach.  She said, "Thank you mom for this day.  It is so fun to be at the beach."  LOVE!

Molly Kate eventually asked Daddy to carry her out into the water a bit.  He did exactly as he was told, and walked in the water while she was in his arms.  She didn't smile too much as she was very unsure about this place, but she did enjoy sitting under the tree on the picnic blanket eating lunch.  The girl is becoming such a good eater.  Emily enjoyed the beach too, but wouldn't let me get any pictures of her.  :)  She is such a blessing with the girls.  It was a blessed day.  I marvel at how easy adding daughter number four has been.  She fits right in with us perfectly!

It is As If..

she has always been here.  She is such a darling baby girl and she is so very good. 

She can already get into her own car seat!

She and Anna Mei chat away like they have always been together.

 She is already sitting in her high chair eating away.

 I guess she has gained two pounds already!

Look at her sweeping.  Oh that face! I could just eat her up.

On Becoming Sisters

 It has been one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen watching my girls interact.  Anna Mei is over the moon to have a baby sister.  She is my little mommy.  She loves all things babies and her sister makes her heart overflow with love!  She tells her throughout the day how she is like her and says Molly Kate you belong with us. (This is especially precious as I tell these same things to Anna Mei often.)

They just seem to fit together perfectly.  Jillian will often sign "my baby" when she sees Molly Kate and plays so well beside her.

I am feeling so very blessed to have these three beauties to call my daughters.  They keep us very, very busy, but I wouldn't want it any other way.

Anna Mei's Dance Recital

Anna was blessed this year by a very special family in our body who provided her with dance lessons.  She has loved the friends, the recital costume, the shoes, and the Wednesday morning meeting times.  Her big performance is next Sunday, but we met yesterday to practice one time on the big stage.  She probably isn't destined for Broadway, but she has enjoyed it just the same.  

Thank you Miss Janele and Katelyn for giving her this gift!  She is blessed by your love for her!

Today

At the park today, all the emotion of my being gone for the last seventeen days, and finally returning home hit my nonverbal treasure.  A blister set her off in deep sobbing tears, and I took her in my arms to rock her against my chest right there on the park bench.  The loss of a momma is very real for her, and when I am I not here it hurts her deep.  When I returned to her yesterday, she came running down the stairs smiling so big signing "momma, momma home"!  It burst my heart wide open.  Still today when I was comforting her, the sadness she felt in my absence came back, and sitting there sobbing those big sobs was her way of telling me how much it hurt her heart to be without me.  I held her a long time there on the bench singing to her, and saying I was so sorry I had to leave for so long.  I was reassuring her that I loved her, and missed her every bit as much as she did me.  Then, I turned to look over my shoulder to check on my man who was playing with our other two girls as I was giving Jillian some one on one time.  As I turned, I saw my man walking toward me with our newest treasure's crooked little hand in his.  Once again, JOY indescribable flooded my heart.  For two years, our Molly Kate hasn't known the hand of a father, but in an instant my man took that role.  I have watched him all day sitting with her, holding her, and playing.  I have heard him saying beautiful, you are safe, daddy loves you, and daddy's got you again and again.  I have seen this man, whom I love more than any other earthly being, take this stranger on as his own and my heart expands a thousand fold!  How I am blessed that he is willing to walk alongside me and support me in this crazy.  I never dreamed this life for us and, while it is not at all what I wanted or dreamed, it is so much better.  Crazy blessed to walk this road with such an incredible father to my children by my side.  I can't imagine my life without him, and when I said I would go back to China tomorrow..he didn't say no.

In the USA

I am typing this update from O'Hare while my precious babes sleep on a couch next to me.  We are waiting for the last leg of our journey home.  Today, this precious little angel has lost every bit of her home country, but at the same time, she has gained so much.  After fifteen hours on a plane, this amazing little girl was all smiles.   She didn't make a peep throughout the flight.  She enjoyed stickers, coloring, eating the coconut cookies shared with her by a passenger, and taking advantage of all the perks of cuteness with the flight attendants.  She was given extra water, food, ice cream, pillows, and much, much attention.  What a huge paradox to what her life has been in the years before we came for her.  She is cherished..so cherished by so many these days and she is eating it up.  When we exited the plane, my baby girl was automatically granted US citizenship, but because it was her first time entering the county, we had to go through the manned lines.   She was moved to the head of the line immediately.  The officer walked her right to the front, and many applauded as we made our way through the official channels.  It always feels so good to be home...to be able to give our girls this great country as their home is more than words can describe.  I can't wait to watch her grow.  I can't wait to continue to get to know who she is and all that she thinks.  As she sleeps, I am praying over her and giving thanks to God for all of the events of the last seventeen days as each of these journeys grows my faith and shapes my heart like nothing else.  I serve a God who has allowed me the great privilege of caring for one more precious one in His name and, friends, it is so so very good! 

On Her Own

It finally happened yesterday.  Our dear girl started to move about a bit.  It happened much sooner with Anna Mei, but finally our Molly Kate is feeling comfortable enough to explore.  She literally has stayed pretty much glued to wherever I put her down in our hotel  and won't leave my lap or walk when we are out.  She sits quietly and plays with anything that is near, but hasn't moved or made any fuss to gain more.  I have tried to get her to explore, walk holding my hand, and crawl, but she has had none of that.  Yesterday, though, she did walk from her toys to the table and "got into" some things that were sitting there.  I am thrilled.  She even walked on her own just a bit at the park we visited today while she held my hand.  She is very, very cautious and it has taken her a very long time to come out of herself, but we are so excited to begin seeing a bit of her little personality.  She even thought about feeding herself some ice cream, but quickly came to her senses and withdraw so that momma could do it for her. How I love watching my littles become more themselves as they get comfortable.  I can't wait to see how she will settle in at home with our family.  She is so happy to see her daddy each time on the computer and we will all be pretty happy to see him in person on Friday!

Another Park

We took a cab to visit another park in the city to pass the morning.  We went with another momma, who traveled alone to her seven year old daughter.  She is a special education teacher who teaches children with visual differences and has already adopted one child who is blind.  We enjoyed spending time with she and her new daughter here on our last day as we have lots in common.  It is so hot though.  The pictures above are blurry because of the humidity.  It is seriously hot.   We are packing up and so excited to head out tomorrow morning for Hong Kong.  Iowa Here We Come! 

Red, White, and Blue

My dear girl was issued her visa today.  She was all decked out in her red, white, and blue for the occasion.  (I was chuckling waiting with the other families this morning about all the hairbows on our children.  I said that when a little is adopted by an American they should be given a warning that hairbows are in their future as all the little girls were wearing them.)  As soon as she lands on US soil, she will be a citizen.  We had to walk by hundreds, probably thousands, of Chinese nationals waiting in line hoping to be granted a visa to immigrate into this great country that we are blessed to call home.  We were able to walk right past them all and enter the brand new consulate where the preamble to the constitution etched in the frosted glass greeted us.  This is always an emotional moment for me when my precious daughters are adopted by our great country and the rights of citizenship are extended to them because we have called them our own.  She was called by her American name today for the first time by a stranger..Molly Katherine Ling Masterson.  She doesn't yet know that that is who she is to become, but I know and it is amazing.  As much as I love visiting this place and feel such a deep burden for the many lost here, I will be so thrilled to land on US soil.  The freedom we have is something I take for granted too often.  Praising God my Molly will soon know it.  She does love her some native food though.  Today, she devoured an egg custard type dish with soy sauce on the top.  She ate the entire pan.  I don't even know what it was as the local place we went to eat didn't have any English speaking employees.  They didn't charge us for it as they said it was lucky for the baby.  I am hoping I can find out what it was so I can try to recreate it for her when we are home.  Their native food is always so comforting to my little ladies and I love making it for them when we are home. 

Safari

We hit the safari park today.  I have never been in three trips because I have never had a baby who could handle such an outing, but this baby is soooo good.  Seriously, Molly Kate smiles all the time, eats when she needs to, sleeps when she needs to, and really loves being out.  She is darling and she enjoyed the zoo despite the 100 plus degree temperatures.  It is so hot here.  The family we are traveling with speaks Chinese so we hoped a van on our own and headed out to the zoo for the day by ourselves.  It was great fun.  You wouldn't believe how close the animals are here.  There is almost nothing separating the viewer from a tiger.  You can even buy a tray of meat and feed the lion by throwing it in the cage.  The animals are much more active too.  It was great fun, but we are more than ready for our consulate appointment tomorrow because then we will be issued that American visa.  That visa is our golden ticket home and we cannot wait!  Tomorrow, we will be sporting our red, white, and blue while we take our citizenship oath.  Then Thursday afternoon, we will pick up our paperwork and Friday we will head out from Hong Kong.  We are getting so close! 

Lucy's

We got to eat at Lucy's today on the island.  Sweet tea is a welcome taste of home after so many days of Chinese cuisine.  Emily had American fried chicken.  She was in heaven.  Molly Kate tried ketchup and she was not a fan.  She had an egg flower soup and devoured it.  She did try the sweet tea and asked for more. 

The Island

 The last two mornings, we have caught a cab and gone out to the island.  This being my third time here, I am very comfortable in this city.  There is nothing better than walking the cobblestone paths, browsing the little shops, and taking in the lush, tropical gardens on Shaman Island here in Guangzhou.  It was our lucky day today too because we just missed the huge rain storm which came while we were eating.  We have also had such great luck catching cabs quickly.  I told Em she is my good luck charm as I have never gotten cabs so quickly as this trip.  We couldn't resist taking some photos there of our treasure in her Chinese outfit. 

Heavenly

We weren't here long in Guangzhou, when my oldest was laughing her head off and saying this is heaven for you mom.  Here in this city, all families adopting must finish the US side of their paperwork and that means that Chinese children and their new families are everywhere.  I mean hundreds of them.  Most of these families are believers and just as crazy about adoption as I am .  The first morning at breakfast, we were approached by another momma who talked reusing her  dossier, orphan care, and special needs all within a few minutes of introducing herself.  It was when she left that Emily was laughing saying reusing dossiers, special needs, adoption...this is your heaven mom.  Truly, this is heaven for me seeing all these beautiful children welcomed into homes and sharing the week with these amazing families whose hearts are so close to mine is the icing on the cake.  I LOVE this place.  I LOVE adoption and I LOVE China.  Many have asked if this is my last trip here.  Only God knows, but I hope not.  I hope that God will continue to bless me with these children and that I will one day walk this soil again. 

More Pearl River

It is so special having Emily here.  I am so very grateful for all this time with her and for the love that is forming between she and her new sister.