Just Joe

Libby wants NOTHING to do with me or any female. She only wants Joe 24-7 and it hurts. It does not help that I am really missing the boys and now libby doesn't want me touching her, holding her ---- nothing, only Joe. This is something our social worker prepare us for but it still hurts. It's going to be a very long 8 days until we come home. Please pray that libby will begin to trust me.

Funny Moments

OK a quick post before Libby Xiao wakes up (girl loves the computer and it is impossible to type with her banging on the keypad). She IS IN LOVE with Joe and wants him constantly but she and i actually shared a great moment in the bathroom yesterday afternoon with the bath water. She was finally ok with Joe taking off her shoes and we actually got to change her into PJs but she wanted her coat (Joe calls it her Punky Brewster Coat) right back on. You can see in the pictures our nightly routine of slipping her out of the coat while she sleeps.

I am hoping she will warm up to me some today but not getting my hopes up. It is so sweet to see her tucked into Joe's arms and see the peace and comfort on her face. Yesterday I was watching them feeling a little jealous Joe was getting all the lovin but then realizing that this the first time she has felt the love from a Daddy. It was neat to watch and know exactly how she was feeling because that is how I feel when I am around my own Daddy ---which made me cry because I miss my Daddy watching them. Its Thursday here (praise the Lord) and we are almost at the 1 week left mark.

We are very ready to leave Taiyuan and head to Guangzhou. We love Tanya and Barbara Robinson (our other travel partners)! I don't think I could have done this part without them. Its nice to have friends to laugh with and cry with during these long days. We are joke about "CHINA TIME" - you can look at your watch and see the time and check it what seems like an 1 hr AT LEAST and its only been 3 minutes ha!

On a funny note, every meal we offer Libby Xiao local "chinese" food but she choose Beef Jerky and Cheese. It's what we brought from home and shared my plate of Spaghetti for lunch and dinner yesterday :)

Daddy's Girl

Libby Xiao is loving some Daddy! She wants him 24/7. We did the Jinci Temple Tour today and libby did great...as long as she was holding daddy's hand. I am missing my boys so much I could just break - 7 days is a LONG time to be away from them and it is starting to take a toll on me. I cant even imagine how i am going to make it to 22nd but I look at Libby xiao I know that this is exactly where i should be. It's just hard bonding with her without the boys being here - of course if they were we would not be able. Please pray for our homesickness and missing the boys to decrease because we have a long time until we are coming home. We are about to go to the river to walk around it and play. Tomorrow, we are going to the zoo then we FINALLY fly out of Taiyuan and head to Guanghouz.

Our Little Butterfly

Our little butterfly is slowly coming out of cocoon! After we left the Civic Affairs, it was almost like Libby Xiao had a burden lifted off of her. She was very timided still in the room but calm and let us love on her. We needed to make a grocery run to stock up on some of her favorite snacks. She was so happy for the first time and really bonded with us. With each step of this new found freedom, she would look at us for approval and then smile -which then turned from a small giggle to a full blown sassy walk. Anytime a female gets near her so runs to me and throws her arms in the air and wraps her arms around my neck (yeaaaaa). We started to realize that she was experiencing a TON of firsts and loving every second of this new life. We gave her a wash cloth bath and she cried her eyes out but did let us dress her in something new BUT she had to have the coat that she had on Gotcha Day.

LIBBY's FIRST:
- pretty sure first time to walk out in the public
- she doesnt understand that she has choices and this was very clear at the 7-11 gorcery store. Every time we let her choose she just looked at us with shock but would never choose but would giggle with happiness when we choose one for her and paid for it and gave it to her.
- first time to ride an escalator - she was so unsure of the moving steps and had a tight grip on our hands but did GREAT.
- first time to have unlimited access to a drink, she carries her water bottle everywhere and wants it filled at all time.
- We walked all over the hotel and block, she had the biggest smile i have ever seen in my life.
- She ate great at dinner choosing chicken and watermelon

She really bonding with us and wants us around at all times. She does not like if Joe or i leave the room which we love!! She is starting to curl into my body with i hold her and wants to hold hands. She is just precious. It is truly amazing to watch this little girl that God made perfectly for our family to slow break out of her cocoon and started to really fly. It is just so humbling to walk around her province and look at the individuals here and know that Libby Xiao has a new life waiting for her at home. She can do and be anything she wants to be - truly the sky is the limit. It makes me cry that God has allowed us to be apart of this stepping block for her. I just cant wait to see what we will learn about her today.

We are doing great and very thankful for this time to have one on one with her but we miss our boys. I just cant think about this too much because it is just too hard. love you all and love the comments makes home seem alittle closer! 10 more days until we come home........

It's FINAL!!!!

WE had our final paperwork with China and its offical she's our daughter! Libby Xiao did much better than expected...still lots of little kitten crys and tears but when we left it was like she knew it was going to be okay. She held our hands and even reached for Joe to hold her. Praise the Lord she actually wrapped her tiny arms around my neck when we left the office building. She has not cried once since then (total prayer answered thank you for praying). We still can't get her to change clothes. She completely grabs at them and melts down when we try- we are about to attempt a wash cloth "bath" because she is so sticky from all the candy I gave her at the Civic Affairs this morning :) Then off to the 7-11 to buy her some more yogurt drink that she loves. She is doing great - MAJOR change in her since even this morning. It was so funny we ordered a ton of random "chinese" food for her and all she wanted was her Daddy's french fries --- She is such a Mabry! She is really enjoying the stickers (thanks aunt rae and emma). She is pulling off each one and sticking it on each other just another thing for her to put in her pocket which has about 30 ballons, candy :) SO far a good day

3 AM Party

OK - we have been up since 3am and still going strong! The prayers are working!!!!! Sweet Libby Xiao let me feed her and even smiled at me a couple of times. Its been such a major change - keep the prayers coming. Ali she LOVES her coloring book and makers. She is so smart, she just keeps surprising us every minute. Finally I got to take some of her layers off without too much protest - however, after she went to the bathroom (she is sooooo potty trained praise Jesus!) i took off the final layer of sweat pants which made her cry. She stopped crying once i let her put them in the bed with her (along with about 25 balloons, her medicine boxes, candy, her sweatshirt). ok off to play with my baby girl. Please be praying for her heart at 9am beijing time - 8pm yalls time we will see her caregivers again ugggghh!

My neighbor is posting my blogs for me and she forwarded a few comments, totally overwhelming thanks for the love and prayers.

Gotcha Day = LIBBY TRAUMATIZED

When we arrived at the Civic Affairs the babies were already there, when we walked into the room we saw libby xiao sitting with the one of her orphange workers the moment she saw she started screaming ....and never stopped. They said she was very smart and knew exactly what was happening. Libby xiao went into total shock mode and was screaming body stiff as a board. It didn't really upset us too bad - weirdly it was comforting to know she was loved well and was so attached to her care givers. The care givers gave us a bag of food, yogurt drinks and medicine (baby girl is running a fever and has a nasty cold).

We got her to calm down just a little in the hotel with blowing up balloons and giving her water to drink. She is wicked smart! She gathered everything that the workers left us and took out all the pictures of her from our photo album, wanted me to zipped her coat and then she headed to the door. She cried out for her caregiver and kept pointing to the door (this lasted almost an hour). This was heartbreaking. She really hasn't stopped crying so i finally tucked her into bed and she slowly drafted off to sleep. She is hoarding like crazy already. She refuses to take off her shoes or clothing (i think she realizes that means she is staying). They had her dressed in sweatpants with jeans over that and 3 shirts and a jacket. Right now she is tucked in bed fully dressed with everything she came with tucked tight under the covers with her.

Tomorrow we have our final paperwork with her caregivers AGAIN ugh! i am already dreading her seeing them and her realizing that she has to go back with us. Please pray for our little girl - she is hurting and scared which i don't blame her. Please lift her up in your prayers as we start this new journey. It's so hard not to be able to tell her that we are only here to love and take care of her. Our hearts absolutely love her so much already!!!!!!! She is TINY but long and so beautiful. Thanking the Lord that I finally got to kiss her even if she was screaming her head off while i was kissing her haha!