A package all the way from China

We received a package from Charlottes foster family in China this week! :)  I knew it was coming but, honestly I wasn't sure if it would make it here, given the inpredictable mail in China. Plus they had said it could take up to 3 months to arrive.  I was so excited to open it.  They had sent some of her favorite clothing, some of which were cute split pants. :)  They included some of her favorite snacks-strawberry cakes and 2 cute stuffed animals. One of the animals is from a popular China cartoon named "The Pleasant Goat" and the pink bunny we had sent her in a care package back in April of 2011.  We have several photos of her with it so, this is very special and we are very thankful that sent it to us.  She hugged them tight after we opened the package. :)

 

What was one of my favorite things in the box?  The photo below.  I had been told that her foster family is so poor that they didn't have a camera so, they had no photos of Charlotte besides the ones I had sent.  This photo means the world to me..just to have a photo with the 2 of them together. :) And the phot album Charlotte is holding in her hand in the photo, is a photo album we sent her back in April 2011 along with the bunny.  To be able to see this woman holding our girl.  This woman in rural China, who didn't have much, had given SO MUCH of herself to a little girl who had no one and would one day become our daughter....well the photo just brought me to tears.  I will never be able to portray in words just how thankful I am for her.  One day I hope to be able to tell her in person just how thankful I am for her. 

I thought I had gone through everything in the box but, then I found a disc so I put it into my computer.  There were 75 photos of her foster mom & brother AND a 6 minute video of them talking to us & Charlotte. I had no idea we would ever get a video.  This was the most emotional part for me.  I won't post it here because I want it to be special for Charlotte and it has some very personal information for Charlotte to hear one day.  But, her foster brother was so cute and positive and her foster mom too.  She broke down in one part of the video and went on to explain that she loved and missed Xia Xia very much but, that she was so thankful to Xia Xia's Mama and Baba and that she would love to meet us one day. It was so obvious that she was very loved!  And I pray we can save our money and take Charlotte back in the next several years.  Something I wouldn't have thought we would be doing so soon but, I want us to go back within the next 5 years, if at all possible, so, we can meet and talk with them.  Shoot, if I was a millionaire I would go back next month! :)  But God's timing is perfect. 

Miss Charlotte is doing so good these days.  She used to be right.by.my.side. like ALL OF THE TIME!  She still is most of the time BUT, she has started going to her brothers rooms to play with them and not having to be with me everywhere.  This is big for her. 

Charlotte with her Ge Ge's...she has on her "Made in China" shirt! too cute!

We had a sweet friend of ours take some professional photos of Charlotte

and I think they turned out beautiful and that she captured her personality so well. 

This is a photo of Charlotte in her baby dedication outfit.  It looked so beautiful on her. 

She also took a great photo of the kids together.  Will 14, Drew 11, Ben 8 & Charlotte 2

We've bene blessed with some wonderful friends that have also adopted from China.  Vicki & her husband, Roger live in Benton, Kentucky (about 45 minutes from us) and they have 3 grown sons and adopted Molly Kate in 2011 & just got home with Callie Beth.  We really enjoy getting the girls together as they are are just a few months apart in age and they LOVE each other.  So thankful for their friendship!

Callie Beth, Charlotte & Molly Kate

Things I want to remember:

-Charlottes English has really come a long way..  I think she is probably not far behind kids her age that have spoken English since birth yet, she still holds on to some of her Mandarin.  Of course there are just a few words I for sure recognize..Nay Nay (Grandma), Mei Mei (little sister), Guo Guo (big brother) and one I haven't heard her use until just recently is Ni Hao (hello!)

-She has a love/hate relationship with Will. LOL!  They can pick on each other and then the next second they are so loving to each other.  A few nights recently she has wanted to sleep with him in his bed. She made this clear over and over again at bed time saying "I want Will!" )

-She and Ben are the most loving to each other.  I think because he more gentle with her, she is really affectionate with him and she definitely likes to be in the same room with her Ben at all times.

-She and Drew well...he picks on her and she does not like it and boy does she let him know. 

-She still ADORES her Baba and has figured out how to call him all by herself on my phone. LOL!

-Charlotte will say "bad Drew" or "bad Ben" when she gets mad at them. LOL!

-She calls her foster mom "mama China" right now. I started trying to get her to say "China mama" but she just keeps reversing it.  I think its cute!

-She is so outgoing.  My niece Laura was practicing for a pageant yesterday and after she got done, she asked if Charlotte wanted to practice.  She said "yes, but mama camera!"  She wanted to do it but, she wanted to make sure I would take a photo! LOL!  She pretended to walk out like Laura had but, she was waving and blowing kisses...it was so funny, yet cute! LOL!

Please pray for us this next week.  On Wednesday, Charlotte will have a lip revision surgery  & a surgery to remove the acutis aplaysia from the back of her head. I am nervous about the surgery and her recovery.  She will be on liquids, then soft foods for 3 weeks as well as having to wear her arm no no's.  This should be very intersting but, our girl is so strong and brave and I know God has been with her each step of the way.

Much Love,