Sarah, the social butterfly Praise Father, He has made all things beautiful in His time.
Every day we wait for your travelblog to show up in our mailbox, It's like a special treat from China. Dave and I have had a lot of chuckles over how much Sarah reminds us of Hannah. Hannah also went from clingy and shy to a social butterfly within a week's time. So we know you'll have your hands full (and a great bl---ing, too!!!). We are asking Father to help you get a lot of rest on that plane ride home so you can join us for a big homecoming at PVBC's family camp. By the way, Hannah had a fit the first time we put her in a car seat on the way home from LAX. She wailed all the way home, until red-faced, she finally dropped from exhaustion. Hopefully, Sarah will not follow in the footsteps of her China cousin in this regard. We are SOOO looking forward to seeing you all!
Wonderful Hom Princess Godfrey and Stacey,
It's been our evening ritual for the past week reading your "Sarah" entries before we go to bed. Our hearts are just so thrilled reading all the stories and seeing all the pictures. I know that she is such a wonderful gift to you. But we also know that you both are an unbelievable blessing to her. Thanks for sharing all your thoughts and keeping up up-to-date on your princess.
Greetings from San Diego. We've been on vacation with our extended family enjoying the beach life.
We can't wait to sell all of you very soon.
How old is she? ...23 lbs!?! My Hannah is only 21 lbs at 21 mths old. :) Glad that everything is going much better. Everyday you'll learn and see something new from her and as parents. Heard that you might be coming back 'home' for a bit. Let us know when and where! We'll try to be there with open arms! :)
Much love,
Cez
awwww.....how cute! awww...it's so awesome to hear how everything is going! every morning when i wake up to read the blog, i get so excited!! It's such a joy to hear what has happened everyday, and in so much detail. Thanks for sharing! I'm thinking of you! i'm serious anticipating the day when i get to see all three of you together!!
Pretty As a Princess "Pretty as a Princess" is the title for a Precious Moments figurine. I'll have to get that one for you to put on your mantel because from the looks of it, Sarah certainly has you both wrapped around her precious princess finger and other body parts. Y'all are going to be in trouble (and I'm not just talking about in her teen yrs either)- I think daughters have a way of doing that to parents. You should see Wes with Amanda- he's this big old teddy bear (very different with his boy). Wes says that she's got the cutest smile and dimples. And when I put her hair up in pig tails, then Wes really becomes this mushpot. We're so happy that Sarah has felt so comfortable and has warmed up to you both practically instantly- how could she not?!! What a difference each day makes- that really reinforces the fact that children just need love, care and attention and then they grow like wild flowers- blooming everywhere. Sarah is sprouting so quickly and isn't it amazing that you're seeing right there before your very eyes? Thanks for your updates and happy trails as you head to other stops and back home. Stay healthy by drinking lots of water.
memories Your journal entries keep bringing back memories of our own first few weeks with Sophia. Was it really just last year that we were in your shoes? Anthony and I look forward to your new entries and have inspired us to attempt our own blog. Can't wait to see you back at home.
sweetness! a traveler, she is! such a joy to read your posts! it's become a daily ritual here in the Chen house. =) take care of those sore throats/coughs! some chinese medicine a day...keeps the sore throats away? haha. pr-ing for ya'll!
U 2 r amazing Hi Stacey and Godfrey.
I came across you blog last night and read all your entries.... My name is Irma and I am South African. I am a kindergarten teacher and currently living in Shanghai. Your story is absolutely amazing and I want to thank u for helping China. I am very passionate about chinese children and love my students so much. I will adopt a chinese girl too in the future. i am only 22 now so I have to wait a few years. Please don't stop writing because I enjoy it so much! And I know that Sarah is going to have a fabulous future with the 2 of u! Thank you for inspiring me and may God continue to bless u! I'm praying for you!
Soooo funny! Praise Father! That's a great and funny update! Glad to see Sarah's doing nature's calling regularly now!
Yes, she IS a princess, after all the Biblic-l meaning of her name is princess ... we should know, right!
We will keep pr'ing for you and praise Father for all the great news!
Boo boo Hey! Boo-Boo is my nickname but I'll very gladly share it with Sarah! :)
So much of what Sarah is going through reminds me of what we go through with Dad. He longs to hold us and yet we kick, scream and cry preferring to have it our way (sorry Stacey...I don't mean this to be a bad reference on you! I'm just learning so much through this.). Eventually though, He takes us around and shows us all the wonderful things He's given us to show us who He is and we calm down. We're quickly reminded and have learned He is safe...He is better than anything we could have imagined. I will continue to ask Dad that this experience will deepen our relationships with Him as well as be useful for Sarah to look back on as well as testimony to His faithfulness to her!
We have loved reading your entries and look forward each day to reading all the exciting things you are learning and going through. Thank you for taking time to include us in your incredible journey especially because we know you have very little time of your own anymore...Your excitement and wonder of all the things Sarah is doing is so encouraging to me because as you experience it brand new for the first time, I am reminded more that I should appreciate my own kids as the precious gifts they are because the "cute" things they might do during the day can definitely get lost sometimes with the daily grind. You guys are doing a great job of loving Sarah and I know that you are also depending moment by moment on the L for strength, wisdom and grace. You are in our thoughts and prayers!
eeep! HIIII!!!! oh dood...SARAHHHHH!!! WHY IS SHE SO DARN CUTE?! well hope you guys are doing well in china! stacey..u need some sleep u look so tired..but hey remember when u get back to california im here to babysit so u can get ur rest then! =D ok well im going to go comment on your other blogs now. bieee!
Congratulations! I finally got to read all of your blogs after being sick and away from the computer for almost a week. Wow, congratulations! You both already look and sound like pros. Your updates really brought a lot of smiles and reminders of when my kids were small. I think Sarah will learn really quickly that Daddy's shoulders are much more roomy to sleep on. We can't wait to meet Sarah when you arrive back and have settled into your routine. That's great that you get 5 hours of sleep at night- I consider that sleeping through the night. Can't wait to see your food stained shirts, red eyes and hear about your parenthood stories- welcome to the club.
Exciting Godfrey and Stacey...thanks for sharing your adventures. I've been alternating between beaming and tearing as I've been going through your journal entries. I can't help but think of how GOOD He is to us. I hope you are enjoying China (not unbearably hot I hope, but I know it probably is :-P) It's a good think Sarah likes watermelon because it is very easy to find! I will continue living vicariously through your sharing until you are back in the states.
About "Ah-boo-boo" AAWWW! What a cute nickname. It's great that Sarah is getting along with Daddy now. And thank G, that there will be a lot of willing people to be a relief for your arms and help carry Sarah around.
What a cute pic! Sarah is so adorable sitting on the bed playing with her toys! Yes, there will be more moments like that, where she will play by herself. But, as you have noted, she just needs to know you love her and will not leave her! We will pr for strength for you and for continuing bonding! Praise Father for small improvements every day! Our family is available when you need help ... just call us!
Oh so wonderful When Dave first told me how Sarah was reacting to Godfrey, I immediately thought of Hannah. But since Sarah now is warming up to Baba...I'd say that the L..d has been gracious. Hannah must be her cousin. So grateful everything is going well. Pr..ying for you. What a cute kid. Can't wait to meet her.
What a gift! Our love and heartfelt wishes to you! Our Father is good and kind. Praise Him for all the blessings on your family and our missions team. Enjoy every moment with Sarah and your experience in China. We love this blog and look forward to many more stories. Go, Homs!!!
Yea Baba!!! Yea Godfrey! I'll thank Dad for the "hook up" for you! It would take something like a pee pee incident for this miracle to happen though - Dad has that sense of humor!!! So do we (esp. given the conversations at "staff" meeting - "Where's my poo?!?")...BTW...You look happy yet nervous in that picture...don't worry...you'll get adjusted soon and so will Sarah! Love you 3!!!
It's been a joy reading your entries; I feel like I'm a part of your journey. What a privledge! I can see you both beaming with joy :)About your mild sore throats....It may be from the dry air and not viral in nature. If you're waking up in the morning with throat discomfort, but it generally gets better as the day progresses, it may be due to the dry air from the hotel air conditioning. A humidifier in the room and plenty of fluids should help. That's my 2 cents. Lots of love to you and baby Sarah. Heidi
hip hip hooray and PRAISE Father!!! Great news! That's great to see the pic and daddy and Sarah! We will pr for your health and continued bonding! Both of you look great with her!
I am cracking up I love your "egg smear-pumpkin remnants-baby sweat" comment. Get used to finding random telltale stains or pieces of food or other bodily things (I won't say) on your persons. Hee hee. Jordan found a dried booger in his hair that Erin had apparently placed there for later retrieval. Hee hee hee. I also love your "ibuprofen" comment... and thankful that G can hold her now, as well as the hip hammock. And you'll come up with creative ways to make sure she doesn't "relieve" herself in inopportune moments. Hee hee. I write this as I just cleaned Dylan up from leaking on himself and me (third time in 24 hours, 2x on me, 1x on Derek). Oh, the joys. :-) Loving your blogs and keeping us right there with you. Will probably preserve your throats from having to tell a million people the same stories over and over when you get home. Hee hee. P-ing for continued bonding and extreme enjoyment as you build family memories together. Missing you and can't wait to see Baby Sarah at church on 9/11!
Cindy Akiyama
non-member comment
Sarah, the social butterfly
Praise Father, He has made all things beautiful in His time. Every day we wait for your travelblog to show up in our mailbox, It's like a special treat from China. Dave and I have had a lot of chuckles over how much Sarah reminds us of Hannah. Hannah also went from clingy and shy to a social butterfly within a week's time. So we know you'll have your hands full (and a great bl---ing, too!!!). We are asking Father to help you get a lot of rest on that plane ride home so you can join us for a big homecoming at PVBC's family camp. By the way, Hannah had a fit the first time we put her in a car seat on the way home from LAX. She wailed all the way home, until red-faced, she finally dropped from exhaustion. Hopefully, Sarah will not follow in the footsteps of her China cousin in this regard. We are SOOO looking forward to seeing you all!