Last Day in Nanchang

Today is our last day in Nanchang. Josie is taking her last nap in her home province. She sleeps with the Kai-Lan doll close as you can see in the picture. WE shopped a little bit and went to McDonald's before nap time. We bought Josie a couple more toys. One of them is a Nemo fish. She LOVES fish! She loves them so much that the only English word she's said so far is "fish". She is starting to talk but just in Chinese. She opens up a little more each day. she is an absolute doll!

She will not let Ben and I out of her sight and needs to hold one of our hands at all time when we're not in our hotel room. It's so cute. It will be interesting to see how she does in the open space of Nebraska. I can't wait to see her play with the boys!!!! We miss them so much! It's amazing the little things you miss. I can't wait to squeeze them!!!!

Here are some more pictures of Josie since I know that's what you are all waiting for. Thanks for the prayers .... we're half way there and I can feel the prayers so please keep them coming!!!!

Blog comments

Hi everyone, Heather here. I have been posting for Jodi while they are in China as Blogger is blocked, as are all the comments you have left. It is hard to be away from home for so long ... so if anyone wants to send them a quick message I know she'd love to receive them. noster_hotstuff@yahoo.com

Thursday

We had another busy day with Josie. This morning we drove to a nearby, more rural village. The people were friendly and it was nice to get out of the city. Tonight we went out to eat at another Chinese restaurant and again I loved the food. Who knew eggplant would be our favorite thing! Josie loves all the veggies so far. She ate a lot of broccoli today and her favorite thing in the world seems to be watermelon. Lucky for us, they serve it frequently around here!

When we returned to the hotel, we went out in the hallway to play some soccer. Ben has tried this before but Josie just picks up the ball and gives it back to Ben. This time, she actually participated and giggled nonstop. You cannot believe how much joy can come from one soccer ball!!

After soccer, I gave her a bath. Right in the middle of the bath, the electricity went out for no reason. It was completely black in the bathroom and Josie didn't even seem scared. She stepped out of the bath like she knew exactly what to do. It was quite amazing. Luckily, the lights came back on about 5 minutes later. I guess that's common here although it hadn't happened while we were awake until now.

Tomorrow afternoon we go to Guangzhou. I am excited for something new. Plus, it means we're one step closer to home. We receive her passport tomorrow and then fly out tomorrow afternoon. We will be in Guangzhou for one week while we wait for Josie's visa.

Everything is going great other than Skype hasn't worked today. Please pray it will begin working again. It's great to see the boys and Josie really love it too!!!

Wednesday - Trying New Things!

Today we were planning to go to the park but it was raining again so we went to a nearby pavilion. It was fun to walk around and we were able to see a show with singing and dancing. Josie's personality came out a little more today although she is still very quiet. She is very well behaved but likes to giggle and laugh. Tonight we went to eat at a a restaurant owned by an American and Josie at spaghetti and ice cream. I'm not sure if she would have had either one of them before but she really loved the spaghetti! We are so in love with her. We miss the boys and can't wait to see them!!!

Enjoy the pictures and yes, Teya she is probably wearing your clothes again!!!

Day 3 with Josie!

Josie is doing great! She is so precious and has a very sweet, quiet spirit. We were skyping with the boys earlier and explaining her personality - loves ball, loves hugs and kisses, quiet, orderly, etc, etc, etc, and Noah responded "she sounds perfect". He's exactly rigth, she is perfect. Today we went to a Wal-Mart and bought some snacks, jammies, shoes and a small soccer ball. She is very appreciative of everything and takes care of it.

Tonight our guide, Lisa took us to a Chinese restaurant that was nearby. The food was excellent! I can't believe I am saying that because I'm very picky but I really; did like almost everything she ordered for us. We just got back and Ben is giving Josie a both. He is so wonderful with her! She loves him so much. I can hear her giggling in there which is no small feat because she rarely makes any actual sound.

Here are a few more pictures. Today is she is wearing the outfit Aunt Emily and Uncle Aaron bought her when we were first matched way back in October. It feels like an eternity ago but it fits great!!!! Enjoy the pics! Also, please remember that we cannot see emails sent to our huntel account. We will try again when we get to Guangzhou but as for now we are using Noah's yahoo account.

Thanks for the prayers. Please keep them coming. We know they are being heard. Love to all!

More pictures!!!

I wanted to post a couple more pictures since I know you're all dying to see more! I think I also forgot to mention that our first night went great. She took a bath, brushed her teeth and slept all night. She is very orderly and tucks her two dolls in right next to her. It is so stinkin' cute! I am attaching a couple pictures that include our adoption certificate and one of her napping. It is the sweetest sight! More to come ...

It's Official

It's official!!! Josie is our daughter. We went to the Civil Affairs office today and had her passport photo taken and our "official family photo". Josie was a perfect angel. She has such a sweet, sweet spirit and is very easy so far. She loves quietly playing with all of her new things. She is very patient and just has a peace about her. I can't really describe it but you'll feel it when you meet her. She doesn't let us too far out of her sight and is very affectionate. She is going to love her older brothers!!!!

Many websites and email addresses are blocked here so we are unable to email many of you. Please watch the blog for updates.

We had KFC today! We had chicken nuggets and Pepsi with ice!!! Big treat for us and it tasted great. She is a good eater but likes to hold food in her mouth and not swallow. Right now her and daddy are watching Chinese cartoons. Almost nap time. More later. Thanks for all the prayers. We can feel them!