Saturday's Friends

On Saturday, some of my friends from work came over to meet Jinnae. We had a great visit and everyone enjoyed a smore. We have a mini smore maker which works out nice for all Jinnae's friends who come to visit. Jinnae loved all the attention! When she was put down for a second while everyone started to roast their marshmallows she started to cry because she got used to being held. So, Aunt Missa (she is dating my brother) put her on the counter to enjoy the action. It was a fun afternoon.

Great Grandma and Great Grandpa

Today Jinnae and I went to visit Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. They are 86 and 87 years old. They were so happy to meet Jinnae. Great Grandpa said, Hi sweetheart, how are you? Great Grandma said, that's the most words he has said all day! :)

Jinnae also met her Aunt Janis and her cousins Tammy and Heather.

We spent the rest of the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa Gerst. Jinnae was very spoiled today. Grandma and Grandpa gave her lots of treats and let her do whatever she wanted.

She had a lot of fun.

Adjusting to the time change

China is twelve hours ahead of us here in the United States. We did not have a problem adjusting to the time change when we were there, but we have had a difficult time now that we are back. We have worked hard to keep Jinnae up during the day the past three days. We entertained her a lot to keep her eyes from falling asleep.

Our hard work paid off, she slept for 10 hours last night. Yay! Hopefully, this pattern continues. Rick is also sleeping very well now.

I on the other hand, have not adjusted very well. I stay up until midnight feeling exhausted thinking for sure I will sleep the whole night. Then, I wake up at 3:00 am with tons of energy. It's crazy! I know I cannot live on only three hours of sleep a night for long. Hopefully, by the end of the week, my body will have adjusted.

Life is good, we love Jinnae so much. We have enjoyed becoming parents.

Pray for China

As many of you know, China suffered a devastating earthquake on Monday. Please pray for the families who have lost loved ones.
Our agency does have a few orphanages in the affected region. The good news is that the children are safe but the buildings have suffered much damage.
Our agency continues to keep us updated as more information comes in. We are so sad about this natural disaster.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

I love you, Mama.

Love,

Jinnae

First day for Jinnae in Allendale

Jinnae woke up at 7:00 am in a good mood. She ate breakfast and played. She went down for her morning nap from 9:00-10:00 am. Then, her Aunt Rhonda and cousins came to visit. Jinnae loved meeting them.
We then went shopping for a while. When we returned, Jinnae relaxed in her special, pink chair.
Jinnae loves her chair and knows already that she is the princess in this house!

Day 16 - Coming Home to America!

It was awesome meeting our beautiful daughter, Jinnae, and becoming parents in China. We love her so much! Also, taking in everything we could from her culture was fun and exciting.
The flight home was very long yet very good. There was no turbulence and Jinnae did well. Jinnae was the only baby on the plane and received much positive attention. All of the flight attendants came to visit her and told us how cute she was. This was a big plane, so it was about 10 attendants! We also were able to change to better seats with more leg room right behind first class. That was nice. The attendants brought Jinnae snacks, juice, water, blankets, extra pillows, a bassinet, whatever she wanted. She was quite spoiled.
Everything wasn't exactly perfect though as Jinnae did choose to have not only her first blow out diaper with us on the plane but two!! (Those of you who are parents know what I mean. It was a mess and everywhere!) The first time, we changed and cleaned her up at our seat. The second time, Rick thought we would spare those around us and changed her in the tiny airplane bathroom. He is such a great dad!
After landing and going through immigration and customs, I took Jinnae to the bathroom to pretty her up for our flight home since I knew family and friends were excited to meet her. After cleaning her up, I gave her to her dad and then went to freshen up myself. When I returned with five minutes to spare before boarding the plane, Rick handed me Jinnae and said, she had a third blow out diaper!! I couldn't believe it! I had only packed two outfits and one extra onesie in my carry on. So, Jinnae met all her family and friends at the airport in a onesie! How stylish! We have decided no more apple juice and fruit for this one for a little while.
We were overwhelmed by the greeting of family and friends at the airport. It meant a lot to us. We are so thankful.
Grandma Gerst was the first to hold Jinnae. Jinnae was excited that Grandma bought her a pinwheel to play with. She loved all the shiny colors.
We are glad to be home. Jinnae slept very well her first night with us in her new home and crib. By the time we got home from celebrating it was almost 1:00 am. Jinnae went to bed at 1:00 am and slept until 7:00 am. Rick slept well too. I didn't sleep much. I guess I haven't adjusted to the time change. I was fine all day today too. I am waiting for the jet lag to hit. I'm glad Rick is home this week as well.
Life is good. We are so happy! It is good to be home!