Watching Josh play soccer and sunflower seeds......

We traveled to Georgia this weekend to watch Joshua play soccer. His team won all 4 of their games. Sophie is doing better getting used to all of us and realizing that we are all a family. She still speaks pleanty of Chinese and no more added English words. She seems to understand us more when we are asking her questions. She is still very leary of strangers and not sure to what to think about all the attention that she gets. She is laughing a lot more but she can still throw a major fit when things are not going the way she wants them to go. She is very loud. But I guess you have to be loud when you lived with 100 other children. She discovered sunflower seeds. She ate them one by one as we shelled them for her. On the way home we stopped and bought some that were already shelled and put them in a cup for her and she was so happy!!!! She is a funny girl!!!!

Happy Birthday, Bananas and Apples

Last night Sophie was standing on the couch singing Happy Birthday in English. I was shocked! I guess they did teach her some English because she will also say the chinese word for Banana and then in English and then right after that she says the chinese name for apple and then the English. She seems to understand some English. When she ask me to open something or get her water. I always ask her in English if that is what she wants me to do and she will shake her head yes. I feel like that one day she will just wake up and start speaking sentences in English.

We are going to try and go to preschool and get our school picture made today. Not expecting it to happen but giong to give it a try nonetheless!!!!!

Football and Bubbles

Sophie had a much better time last night watching her brother play football. She is still leary of other adults but she is doing so much better trusting me to take her into different situations. We actually made it up the hill last night to watch the game without her crying.

The girl that did not want to take a bath in China loves to take a bath. Some days we take 2 baths!!! She loves to play in the bathtub and likes for the water to continually drip. She is beginning to warm up to me more and saying MaMa is such a sweet, different tone of voice. She wanted her BaBa (Daddy) today and that was a welcome relief. Ricky has been sick with a horrible sinus infection and cough. He hasn't felt much like bonding or anything else. She wanted to hold his hand today and sit by him when we met for lunch.

Greater Appreciation

I am trying to think of a name for this post put nothing is coming to mind. I still get very tired by the end of the day but if you compare this day to a week ago, we are doing great!!!! Last Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I thought that I might be seriously, mentally ill!!!! Jet lag and lack of sleep is horrible. It makes me think of our military men and women and the conditions that they are put in to protect our country. I don't see how they do it without adequate and comfortable sleep. I have a greater appreciation for everything these days...my country, my home, my bed, healthy children that have a family to love them, my freedom to worship Jesus and my sweet caring friends just to name a few. Okay I just thought of a name for the post. I do have a greater appreciation for everything in my life after visiting a foreign country and two orphanages.

Okay so on to Sophie. She is doing so much better. God has answered everyone's prayers and my pleas for a relationship with this precious girl. We still have a long road ahead of us but she is spending so much more of her time laughing, being silly and enjoying all the attention she gets. She is still very leary of other adults but she seems to find more comfort in MaMa when she is worried. She is saying a lot of Chinese silly stuff because when she talks she will roll her eyes or twist her head back and forth. I have been recording her on my phone so when we go eat at Top Thai I can play it for them and they can translate. The owner speaks Mandrian. Justin is still the main man and she and Joshua are working on their relationship. They are both very loud so this makes for a loud war of the wills.

She woke up at 5am this morning so I am getting very tired. Just wanted to get an update for everyone and thank you all for sharing this journey with me!!!!!

Oh so sweet kiss

I was helping Sophie get her shoes on tonight and she smacked me right on the lips and then on the cheek. My heart did flips!!!!

Thankful

I AM THANKFUL FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO..........

Support and love my family
Encourage me
Pray for my family
Bring my family hot meals
Greet us at the airport
Check our mail
Cut our grass
Take out our trash
Talk to me in the middle of the night
Let me cry when I am tired
Bring Sophie gifts
Give Pedicure gift certificates
Give Sky Miles
Give of their finances to help bring an orphan 8000 miles to her home
Wash my clothes
Clean my house
Make me praise music CD's
Sit with Sophie so I can sleep

I am thankful for the sweet friends and family that the Lord has blessed me with and most of all I am thankful to be a child of Almighty God that cares for and provides my every need. I hope to never take for granted His wonderful mercy!!! I pray that he pours out His blessings on all of you that have worked so hard to make this adoption a wonderful and attainable experience.

WAR EAGLE

Adjusting Better

Sophie is doing much better. We have had two good days in a row. She still has a runny nose and that make her grumpy sometimes but nothing like when we first came home. She is beginning to explore around the house more and play with her toys. She sill doesn't play in her room but that will come with time I guess. She used to only want to stay and sleep in the kitchen so we are making big progress playing in the den. She has slept in my bed for two nights and that has helped greatly with me getting sleep. Justin has to lay down with her until she falls asleep and then he leaves and I slip into his place. She has slept all night. PTL!!! I am beginning to feel somewhat normal again!!!

Sophie likes to eat bananas, corn, granola bars, pringles, watermelon, boiled eggs, rice, chicken noodle soup, ramen noodles, gummie snacks, skittles. She loves to drink water and now wants a straw in her cup ( she is my daughter). She is very mischievous. She is laughing more than crying and doing better with telling Justin bye. I think she has finally realized that he will come back everyday. Still kinda standoffish with Joshua but hopefully this weekend she can spend some quality time with him. We are all starting to learn each other better but we still have a long way to go to gain her trust completely.

One week home!!

Sophie has been home for one full week now and boy has it been a week. It is more like a continuous blurr!!! The jet lag was awful and trying to please and take care of a 3 year old who does not speak English and gets very frustrated when you don't understand what she wants, has been a challenge. We have had some very rough days. Trying to cope with lack of sleep has been a major problem for me this week. She still only wants Justin to lay down with her at night and I let him spend the night away 2 nights in a row to get some sleep and it left me sleepless. We are all home tonight and Sophie is sleeping soundly. Let's just hope she sleeps all night like she did most nights in China. We had one of our best days yet. She had a doctor's appointment this morning. Michelle and I took her to Olive Garden for lunch and she ate 3 bowls of potato soup. I ordered her spaghetti but she loved the soup. She is a very good eater. She eats too much as you can tell from her Buddha belly!!!! Then we went to the park and she had the best time and later to Justin's football practice and then to Joshua's soccer practice. So we are very tired and I am sure hoping for a full night's sleep!!!!!

Potato Chips and Granola Bars at 3am

It is 3 o'clock in the morning and the princess is sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor eating potato chips and a granola bar!! If I could just find my camera in this disaster of a house. She obviously thinks it is China time. And she won't even share her potato chip!!!! She is just like a newborn with her days and nights mixed up. It is so hard to keep her awake during the day. She is like a little frog and curls up on the floor and goes to sleep when ever she feels like it and wherever in the house it doesn't matter to her. Not sure exactly how I am going to change this behavior but I have to figure something out soon!!! I am too old to be staying up in the middle of the night!!! Good thing that she is really adorable eating potato chips!!! Hope all of you are sleeping well and just remember if you try to call and I don't answer, you will know why!!!!

Sunday Morning

Just a quick update from the Peak household. Sohpie Nuan is not feeling well at all. Her runny nose is now turning into a cough. Her drainage is still clear though, thank goodness. She ran a low grade fever last night. We went to bed at 9:30 which is much better than midnight. We are all a little messed up with the time difference. She woke up every 30 minutes starting around 3am tossing and turning in her sleep, coughing and not being able to get settled. She is on the floor in my room because her GeGe was watching the Auburn game at a friend's house so she had not choice but to stay in here with me. Poor Justin, I think that I am going to have to send him away for a few days so she won't be so dependent on him. She is very attached to him still and we really need for her to let go of this and start depending on the rest of us to meet her needs, especially me!!!

The progress is going to be very slow but I know that it will come. God did not bring this little angel into our lives without a reason. She needs us and we need her!!!

Please know that I am so ready to show her off to everyone but she is very timid and does not like new people to get too close to her. She does great if you stay your distance from her. She will come out of this with time once she realizes that we are here to stay and that she can trust that we are not going to hand her over to the next person. She has really had a hard time with letting go of her old life. They took excellent care of her at Prince of Peace and even though having a Mommy, Daddy and Brothers is a much better life for her, POP is all the life that she has ever had. She does not understand the blessings that are about to come her way. She is 3 and scared of what might happen next. Thank you all for understanding. Just love her from a distance until she can feel comfortable with all the changes that are going on in her little life. She is so precious and it breaks my heart when I see the sadness and fear in her eyes. I said this was going to be quick didn''t I....oh well!! Love to you all!!!!!

We are HOME!!!

Home Sweet Home!!! It feels so good to be back on American soil!!!! We are so tired today!! Hopefully we will catch up on our sleep this weekend and can start seeing people next week. Thank you to everyone who came to the airport!! It was nice to see everyone's smiling American faces!!! I am sorry that Sophie Nuan was not very happy. She really did well on the trip. No crying until we started landing in Dothan. I guess the smaller plane made her ears pop more than the bigger planes plus we were on our 28th hour of traveling!!! That could have a little bit to do with it!!!! She did not go to sleep until 1am and then woke up cyring around 4am. Needless to say I am very tired!!!! We look forward to seeing everyone soon. Please continue to pray for her adjustment and her relationship with Josh. She still only wants Justin and that is hard for Joshua to understand. I am still waiting my turn as well. I was so glad that she let me carry her into the airport. That was a first but I think she didn't realize what she was doing. Please send me any pictures that anyone took. Thanks Friends, I can't wait to see all of you!!!!

Last post from China

Hi Everyone!!! This is my last post from China, PTL!!! Sophie Nuan is running a low grade fever and has a runny nose. She has slept the day away so I am nervous about wether she will sleep tonight. That will not be fun!!!!! Please pray for her to feel better and for her not to scream on the airplane. We will fly to Shanghai with our travel friends from NC and then we will go our separate ways. We have had a really fun time with the Brannon family . They have made the days in GZ go by quickly!!! We will miss them!!! So long from China. The Princess will start her new life with all her family and friends. I am so excited for her when she realizes what a special life she will have!!!

Silly Sophie

This girl is a mess!!! She is so rotten and so full of herself sometimes. She is warming up to me better but still has many moments where she doesn't want me near. She is beginning to hold my hand and tell me to "Qwa la" however that is spelled!! LOL which means "come go with me" She will say Mama Qwa la and grab my hand but she just wants to make sure I am in the group not just with her alone. So this is a start. She has a temper and if very smart and know how to get her way by screaming and grunting. She will stomp one of her little foot when she is mad and doesn't want to do what you tell her to do. So we have a lot to learn when we get back home. It is going to be like breaking a wild horse!!! LOL!!! We have to work on using the potty and behaving before we go to preschool. I have my work cut out for me. But this will all be much easier to do at home when I don't have chinese people staring me down and yes they will stop and stare. some even try to help and that makes it even worse. So I am ready to get back to my turf!!!

We have taken a real bath!!!!

Sophie Nuan took a real bath today and washed her hair or should I say my sweet friend Greyson "Gracie" gave Sophie Nuan a bath and washed her hair. She had a great time in the tub. We are trying to adopt Gracie too but her parents are not giving in.I am so excited my sweet girl is clean!!!!