Yesterday we celebrated the most important event in human history!!! Christ is risen from the dead!!! Christ conquered death and proved He is who He said He was!!! He is my risen Lord and Savior and the One I live for each and every day!!!
As we celebrated Easter yesterday, I was reminded that 6 months ago to the very day (October 20, 2013) our lives were forever changed!!! A beautiful baby girl was placed in our arms to be part of our family forever!!! What a blessing she is to our family, and I can't believe how far we have come in these past 6 months!!!
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Here we are with the other families we traveled with (minus one other family whose daughter was in a different Province)
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I remember my heart filling with excitement as we waited in this tiny room with the other families!!! The kids were to be arriving shortly, so we had time to take a picture of our families before getting our kids. I remember talking with June (one of the other moms) about what our reactions would be...would we recognize our kids, would we cry, would they cry? We asked Sherri (our guide) if they would be bringing in the kids one at a time, and she said yes...
We then heard voices coming down the hall...could it be them??? NO...just 3 more families added to our crowded room. They were families from (I think) the Dominican Republic and were also coming for their kids.
So here we all were...and then...MASS CHAOS!!! All the kids came in at once!!! I couldn't find her (I had a serious disadvantage being the shortest one, lol!!!)...but Tim spotted her right away. The world stopped for a brief moment, much like it did when Jeremy and Drew were brought into this world!! We made our way to her, and the rest was a whirlwind!!! She was finally in her mommy and daddy's arms!!!
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Here we are with one of the nanny's who took care of her.
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We took her back to the hotel to celebrate not only her GOTCHA DAY, but also her 1st birthday!!!
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| Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!! |
Six months ago today (October 21), Jiang Chu Xue officially became Ellie Mei Nielsen!!!
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A thumb print over every signature makes everything official in China!!
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Those 2 weeks in China were one of our most funnest, craziest, hardest, exhausting times in our lives to date, but we wouldn't have traded it for anything!!!
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Last days in China...We all have our kids now!!! We miss these families sooooo much, but are blessed with Social Media where we can still keep in touch!!!
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We have been back for 6 months now, so I thought it would be fun to show a picture from each month!!!
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November
(where Ellie decided to put everything in her mouth...legos, leaves, old food, etc.)
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That first month home was CRAZY!!! Ellie went from drinking only out of a bottle to eating baby food!!! She screamed and cried when there was food and we had to quickly teach her sign language for simple words like "More!!!" We assured her that we would always give her more if she wanted it and she didn't have to scream for it! She put EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING in her mouth!!! I am glad to be past that crazy stage, yet know it was all part of the learning process!
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December
What fun for Ellie to celebrate her first Christmas!!! |
In December, Ellie's personality truly came out!! She is a "ham" and sooo much fun!!! She LOVED Christmas and loved meeting her extended family for the first time!!!
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January
In January, Ellie began to walk!
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Ellie took off walking in January!!! She is fast, on a mission, and has incredible balance!! She loves to climb on things (like her big brothers)...the coffee table is one of her favorite places!! Her hair also became long enough for the cute "pig tails."
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February
All "sporty" and ready to have some fun!!
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She is definitely a "daddy's girl," and thanks to "big sister, Yay-Yay" she is sporting her daddy's favorite: Puma shoes and a Puma outfit!!! Each day she eagerly looks out the window for "DA-DA, DA-DA!!!" when he comes home from work!!! He is greeted each night by 2 crazy boys that are ready to tackle him and one beautiful girl who's eyes light up when she sees him!!!
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March
Her first time at the beach!!! |
In March we took another trip back to So Cal to see family over Jeremy's spring break. We made it to the beach one day, and Ellie LOVED the sand!!!
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| Here we are NOW!!! |
Ellie wakes up each day with the CRAZIEST bed head!!! She is excited to start each new day with breakfast and is on the go until she crashes for nap time!! She is then on the go again until bed time!!! She makes us laugh like no other!! She is saying a new word just about everyday!! She loves her shoes, purse, bows, getting her nails painted and anything "girly," yet LOVES to wrestle and play crazy with her brothers!! She still is cautious in new situations, yet is finding comfort in the love and safety of our family...her family!!
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| THEN (October 20, 2013) |
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NOW (April 20, 2014...6 months later)
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What a joy Ellie has brought to our lives!! These past 6 months have not been easy, but worth it all!!!
We love you, our sweet Ellie Mei!! Happy 6 month Gotcha Day!!!
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