Sibling Photo Shoot

Laughter

My sweet friend Karen and her daughter came over Monday to visit with Sophie.  Karen always gives Sophie her undivided attention when she is here.  She let her giggle box get turned on and it was so precious.  You can tell a big difference in the way she feels.

Merry Christmas!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas morning with our little princess!!

I think that we woke "big ge (prounounced guh)" up too early!!!   Sorry Justin! I guess I could have cropped you out of the picture!! hee hee

I love my Dora scooter!!  

Helping make waffles.  Let me see how yours taste ge ge Lance!!!!

Thank you Grandmama for my talking Elmo!!!  I love Elmo!!!!

I feel safe in ge ge Jerod's lap!!!!

Playing with my baby cousin, Hayden and Grandmama!!

Okay here comes the "sappy" part of my post!!!  Just a warning in case you want to stop here!!! LOL!!!  I originally started this blog to keep friends and family informed and updated on our adoption process.  It has turned into an inspiring journal to one day show Sophie just how much she is loved and wanted by our family and our wonderful friends!!!  

As I was rocking her to sleep this afternoon after a very busy morning, I couldn't help but to think of what a wonderful Christmas miracle she is for me this year.  The past 10 years of Christmases have been very difficult for me with the loss of my Mom and then my Dad.  Josh was born and there for my first Christmas without Mom and has been a great comfort for me all these years as well as Justin.  I love all my children dearly and feel very blessed to receive these wonderful gifts from God.  God has blessed me with biological children and all the wonderful experiences that go along with watching them grow and seeing the different traits they have inherited.  I have been blessed with step sons that I have grown to love over the years through lots of ups and downs!! And now I have this wonderful gift through adoption....

 I am so thankful that the Lord persistently continued to knock on the door of my heart.  I so wanted to make many excuses of why adopting a child would not work for us.  I will not get into those details but finances being the main obstacle!!!!  I have prayed and prayed for many years, Lord either drop a child off at my door step or close all the doors and take away this desire of my heart!!!!  Well it wasn't as easy as having a child dropped off at the door and thank goodness the Lord did not answer my plea to take this desire out of my heart!!!  Sophie was already being formed in my heart and there was no way that it could be undone!!!!

So as I am rocking her to sleep this afternoon and thinking about Christmases gone by, I start to realize that Sophie and I have something very unique in common.  We both have lost our biological mothers and we are both daughters of the Almighty God and he has brought us together and brought peace into our hearts.  He even took care of her in a Christian-based orphanage while she waited for me and Ricky to come and get her.  Her orphanage is named Prince of Peace!!!!  I finally feel peace in my heart for the first time at Christmas since losing my mom.   I still miss her and Daddy very much and always will.   Thank you Jesus for healing my heart, thank you for bringing peace to my heart through the life of a precious 3 year old Asian princess named Wei Ming Nuan.  

Thank you Lord for all my children.  Thank you for the sweet relationship Sophie has with all of her brothers.  It warms my heart to see them all change their tough-guy demeanor and love their precious little princess.   Thank you for a husband that is willing to help father so many children and work hard to provide for them.  Thank you Lord for sweet friends that financially helped Sophie come to America and for sweet friends that fervently prayed for her safe arrival to America.  Thank you for this awesome experience of adoption...at times it can be indescribable!!!!  Just as indescribable as your love for me!!!

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!!  

Holiday Spectacular

ice-a-cream

Mama's baby

Sophie continues to amaze me.  She is doing so well.  Her swollen belly has gone down. She is running through the house, climbing into chairs and making me a nervous wreck.  The doctor said limited activity for a month!!!!  Okay?????

She is so cute when she runs now...she seems so light on her feet.  She will go up on her tip toes when she runs like she is trying to maintain her balance.  Her stomach was so distended before that she literally walked like a  pregnant woman.  

She has become quite mischievous this week and will even come and tell me..Sophie mess!!!!  She still likes to play with water, soap, lotion, etc and you better go look for her if she gets too quiet.  Her English is remarkable.  She is using less and less of her Chinese phrases that we learned.  She still calles water "Shway" but now says Shway water.  She likes to tell you that "Sophie China", " Dis is Sophie's" , "Sophie mama's baby",  "Justin babbet ball (basketball)", "Sophie shilly gurla (silly girl)"  She can say chicken and ketchup very clearly and is obsessed with eating only chicken and ketchup!!!!  oh yeah and "choc-o-let"

Sophie loves her mommy and likes to watch the video of her crying the day they handed her to me in China.  She wants to watch it over and over again!!!  She will say Sophie cry and laugh about it and pretend to cry.  I tell her that Mommy was very sad that Sophie cried and she just looks at me like it was not big deal and she will give me a hug and say "Sophie mama's baby".  I never woud have imagined that we would be this close in such a short amount of time.  My heart was so broken and now it is restored!

Sophie, you are mama's baby and I love you so much.  I fell in love with a picture over a year ago and I can't believe that you are finally here with us.  I love you with every ounce of my heart and I am so honored to be your mommy.   Thank you Lord for bringing this precious child into all of our lives!!!!! 

More Updates......

Sophie has continued to do well with her surgery, however, she developed a bladder infection due to the trauma during surgery.  She had a couple of really irritable days but she seems to be getting back to herself today.  Here are a few cute pictures from the hospital.  She is painting her toenails with "play" fingernail polish.  

A girl has to look good under all circumstances!!!!!!!! hee hee!!!  Oh what a mess she is!!!

Christmas Party with all my new adopted Chinese friends!!

Thank you friends and staff at First Presbyterian Preschool for my balloons and goodies!!!!

Home Sweet Home

Thanks Cynthia for posting for me when I couldn't. Thank you all for your prayers. Sophie has done remarkably well with all of this. I was expecting a lot worse!! She and I both had a good night's sleep. Her "plumbing" seems to be working correctly!!! She is still very swollen but we are hoping that will go down quickly. She is up and playing today like it is just any other day. We will go back January 7th to see Dr. Joseph and have more test run.

* Sophie's home!!!

The Peaks arrived home around 9:00pm. The Princess & Mommy were very tired and off to bed they went. We look forward to hearing from them in the morning. Sophie looked a little weak but sweet. Cynthia

* Sophie Update.... COMING HOME !!!

The Peaks are on the way home. Sheri knew everyone would be waiting to hear and she felt it would be too late to blog by the time they arrived home. Sophie is doing great and Sheri will post an update tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers and concerns, Cynthia

Feeling good ...

Restful Night

Sophie had a very restful night.  She is up and eating ice cream for breakfast!!!  The doctor has removed the catheter and we will wait for her to urinate on her own.  

Surgery is over part #2

Hello everyone,  Thank you so much for all your prayers.  Sophie is resting well.  We are hoping that she sleeps through the night.  She did wake up and sat straight up in the bed.  I asked her if she wanted water and she said yes.  She took a few sips and laid back down.  

Dr. Joseph came to the room and checked on her.  He said that she did really well during the surgery.  He said that her whole system (kidney and ureter) measured 18 inches.  Her kidney was the size of an orange.  Her bladder is also enlarged but we are hoping that will shrink over time.  I do not see how Sophie has managed to run and play.  It had to be like a woman feels when she is 9 months pregnant and ready to give birth!!!  She is going to feel so empty when she finally wakes up and walks around.  

Pray that she sleeps all night.  The plan is to come home to more after she urinates on her own .  she will sleep with a catheter.

* Surgery's Over!!!!!!!!

I just spoke to Sheri and Sophie is in recovery doing well. Sheri will update as soon as they get in a room and settled. Cynthia

Update #2

They just called at 4:20.  They have finished detaching the kidney from the back incision and they have just flipped her over to do the front incision to detach the ureter.

Surgery update

Just a quick update...Sophie did not go back for surgery until 1:40.  It is suppose to take 4 hours.  I will post as soon as I can when the surgery is over.  They have called the room and said everything was going fine...we are anxiously awaiting another update.

Night before surgery....

Hi Everyone ,

No the princess is not going to be happy with no food and no candy!!!  It will be a challenging morning.  It will also be FREEZING!  We will not be able to distract her with the outdoors so we are hoping that she sleeps late and the Lord will satisfy her need and that she will not feel hungry in the morning.  She is usually tired also by 11:30.  

Thanks Cynthia for posting for me today but I need to make a correction.  They drained 600cc of urine today!!!!  It is totally amazing to watch her abdomen just shrink.  You could actually see her ribs and her pubic bones.  I can't imagine being that full all the time and never being able to empty my bladder.

We were at Children's hospital until about 1pm and then we took Sophie to Chickfila to eat and play.  We then went to the Galleria to ride the carousel and sorry I left my camera in the car :(

She fell asleep in her stroller and slept for an hour.  We are now in our hotel room. Sophie is sticking stickers on pieces of paper and on me and Ricky!!!  Thanks Tonja!!  The stickers are perfect!!!

Thank you friend for praying for this precious little princess.  We are blessed!!!!