We're at NewDay...and we're in LOVE!!

First off, I apologize for the late update. I logged on to several emails inquiring of how we are doing and letting us know that you have us in your thoughts and prayers... THANK YOU! It has been a very BUSY and FULL couple of days here. I meant to get a post out sooner, but I seriously have had no time until now. And last night, the combination of emotions and jet-lag really set in hard, so we just needed to get some rest. There is SO much to tell already, but I am going to try and keep this short (notice I said "try") as I'm really feeling tired, and we have an early rise tomorrow for our day trip to Great Wall and Summer Palace.

Ready to go!! :)

We left home late Tuesday morning. My sister, Kami, and her son, Colin, arrived to drive us to the airport. I seriously tried to pack light, and if you know me, getting all of my clothes for 3 weeks into one bag was no small task!! ;) We had several pieces of luggage, but many are/were filled with donations and gifts, so they are already getting lighter after our first stop...more room for souvenirs!!

The flights were pretty well uneventful... LONG, but good. The first leg of our trip was 12-13 hours with a plane-switch in Tokyo, Japan.

Breanna & Dawson at the airport in Tokyo, Japan.

We then boarded for the final 4 hour leg of our trip to Beijing! The Beijing airport is HUGE and beautiful. Everything went smooth on all phases of security, and we were off to find our ride. I quickly located Carrie (from New Day) and it was like seeing an old friend. It's amazing how connected you feel to some people through their blogs. Carrie is a wonderful person, and just as down-to-earth as I imagined her to be. I love her heart and it has been such a pleasure to meet her in person and spend time getting to visit during our stay here. We said our "goodbyes" to everyone this afternoon and evening, as most of them won't be around on the weekend and we are off to Fuzhou on Sunday morning.

Anyway, we arrived at the gates of NewDay LATE Wednesday night. Well, technically, I guess it was Thursday morning, as we didn't get here until just after 1am. But being outside those gates hit me with my fist real surge of emotions. I couldn't believe we were finally here! Jacob and Carrie helped us load our many pieces of baggage into the guest house and Carrie showed us to our room right away. We then met Caroline and a new group of college students from ORU who arrived at the same time as us to serve a month here at NewDay. Then it was off to bed. We were SO tired, but still a bundle of nerves. We knew we only had about 4-5 hours of sleep in front of us, but we also knew our daughter was in the building right next door. I could actually see her bedroom through the guest house kitchen widow. It was very surreal to finally be here after all this wait. And even two days later, I find myself feeling the same surreal emotions at times.

NewDay is every bit as wonderful as I thought they would be, and more! The staff here are absolutely amazing and they have made us feel so welcome from the moment we arrived. And the children... oh the children!... they are just PRECIOUS!! It was like walking into a dream; meeting these precious kiddos that we have prayed for and learned about from afar was just the most amazing experience. They are all so special with their own unique little personalities, and I would love to take several of them home with me!! But the most amazing part of all, was seeing our daughter for the first time!...

We woke up bright and early Thursday morning. Neither Martin nor I slept very well the night before. It was a series of naps mixed with a lot of dreams, at best. We were ready to go bright and early, so we walked around the grounds and took some photos before breakfast. I can't express enough how surreal it was to be walking on the grounds of the place we've only seen in photos...but all so recognizable. As Breanna was taking a photo of Martin and I, Karen and Byron arrived. She caught me so off guard, that the emotions came flooding in just seeing her. She greeted me with a warm hug and then came in to visit with us during our breakfast. She shared a lot about Khloe and what to expect. After breakfast, we had prayer with some of the staff and interns, and it was a wonderful way to start off our day. Then at 8:30, Grace took us over to meet Khloe.

Our time had finally come...this was the moment we longed for, for SO long. As we walked through the door of the foster home, I could feel the nerves and butterflies kick in like never before. Martin held my hand and Breanna and Dawson got the cameras ready... they were our faithful photographer and videographer. They did an amazing job, too... especially since they were seeing their sister for the first time, as well. Dawson spotted Khloe through the window of the playroom as soon as we walked in. We took off our shoes at the front door and then got ready for the big moment. No sooner did we turn around, and they already had Khloe out in the hall. She is as BEAUTIFUL and PRECIOUS as we imagined! She's such a cute little peanut, and SO smart. She has a bit of a quiet and shy spirit, yet is very playful at times, too.

Grace introducing us to Khloe for the first time!

As expected, she was very leery of us. She was looking us over pretty good, and didn't want to get too close. Grace was there with her and she had our photo album we had sent of us in her hands. Grace opened it and went through the photos with her, pointing us out in the photos, and then in person. She came closer and touched our hands. She was very cautious though. We just took everything slow, as it was obvious she was processing so much, and we could tell that she was a little scared. 

Khloe touching Martin's (BaBa's) hands just after we met her.

We then went into the play room and had some time with her there.

In the playroom with Khloe.

After awhile, Grace and Khloe's nanny (Sophie) led us to her room to show us her bed. We sat on the floor and went through some of the gifts we had sent her. Then we played with some stickers. She LOVES stickers, so we were very glad that we brought some along for later. 

Playing stickers in Khloe's room.

After some time of playing in her room, we went on a tour of some other rooms. Khloe took the nannies hand and my hand and led us down the hall. Then she paused and looked over at me, and you could tell she was processing things, and quickly dropped hold of my hand. She knew something was going on and that change is happening and she really didn't like it all too well. But we went with the flow. It was fun shadowing her for awhile. We then played outside and had some moments of fun in the playground and sandbox area. 

Khloe playing on the slide.

She enjoyed the slides with Dawson and playing some with me. 

Khloe and Dawson (GeGe) playing together on the jungle gym.

She played in the sand with all of us, and enjoyed some fun moments with baba (Martin!) Her nanny was there the entire time, so Khloe did let us play with her, as long as nanny was nearby. 

Playing in the sand with Martin ... a.k.a. "BaBa"!!

She is every bit as precious as we knew she would be! We then went off to lunch, and came back in the afternoon to watch her during preschool. She LOVES preschool and singing and dancing. She is so animated and loves to imitate the actions. And whenever she looks as us or flashes her beautiful smile, we all turn to mush!! She's a HUNNY!! We then played with PlayDoh and, for the first time, I got some real interaction with her that SHE initiated. I sat on the floor at the little table, between Khloe's and Annie's chairs. I tried to play with Khloe, but she mostly turned away from me. Then Annie dropped a toy on the floor, so I picked it up for her. Annie giggled and threw it on the floor again...the 'game' was on! ;) I picked it up and tickled her this time. The next thing I know, Khloe was throwing her PlayDoh cookie cutter on the ground, wanting in on the fun and games. She would smile and giggle as I did the same to her, tickling her as I picked up her toy. This repeated a few times and then it was time for snack. The day ended on a good note. By the time we had supper, we were SO tired, we could barely see straight! We were all zonked out by just after 7 pm, and finally got a good night's sleep! We had a big day ahead of us on Friday, as this is the day we would spend some time ALONE with her...no nannies, no staff, no other kids...JUST US!

There is so much to tell about our time alone with Khloe today, but that will have to wait, as I am getting so tired again and everyone else is already sleeping. I will say this much though... it was a very emotional day. Many, many raw emotions. Some very tough moments for all of us, but some wonderful moments of breakthrough as well. It was all to be expected. But even as prepared as you think you are, it's still really hard when it happens. More than anything, it was hard to see her grieve and struggle, but there were some very special moments in the mix, too. Please pray for Khloe's heart as we all leave on Sunday. She will be brought to her providence capital by her nanny. I know it is going to be a hard day for her. Like I mentioned, she does NOT like change. But I also know how priceless this time at NewDay has been for all of us, and KNOW that it will help with the transition when Khloe is given over to us on Sunday in Fuzhou. Pray for strength, peace, tenderness, understanding and wisdom as the rest of our trip unfolds. We are SO blessed to have this precious little girl as our daughter, and we want to be the best parents we can possibly be. We LOVE her SO MUCH!!!

I leave you with these photos of our trip so far, and of our beautiful Khloe... I know it's what you REALLY want to see, anyway!! ;)

Oh, and for all of you who contacted me about photos, or had me deliver a gift to a certain special little someone here at NDFH... we have LOTS of great photos, and I will try and send them sometime soon. (though it may be a few days...but I'll try to get them to you sooner... they're all SO precious and even cuter in person!!!)

Blessings and Hugs to all!!!