Mary's first Holiday!

Gotta start with baby girl playing "sock puppet"!!

Well we just finished celebrating Memorial Day Weekend and boy - was it memorable! But first, a big 'SHOUT OUT' to ALL of our men and women in the military who served and those who are still serving our country! To my nephew, 'Lil David who is still in Iraq - ROCK ON! Cody and Brian Businda who are serving, ROCK ON!

NOW - here's a few pics of our day at Nashville Shores where Mary saw her first fireworks, which she loved but the noise of course, scared her! (Maybe we shouldn't have sat by the pool, close to where they were shooting them!!) She also met Aunt Joan and Uncle Billy for the first time, and Cody's fiance', Stephanie who Mary LOVES! It was a great night and Mary slept GOOD!

Congratulations Mary on celebrating your first American Holiday as a United States Citizen, especially a holiday that honors our men and women in the military who have served this great nation so valiantly! ROCK ON!Robert showing Mary the pool!

Cousin Jacob training Mary on the electronic games

A pose before the fireworks!

Stephanie, Diane, Kenny, Aunt Joan and Uncle Billy getting ready for the show!

Baby girl acting all CUTE!

Stephanie and Mary bonding!

Mary LOVES to Play!

Well, this first photo is a 'self-portrait' that Mary took as my good friend, Renee was brave enough to lend Mary her camera and let her take her own picture! Not bad, and look at all those little choppers!!!!Mary plays like her parents, hard and to the point of exhaustion and really just has a great time!!!!

So I'll just post some times of Mary playing and let you enjoy!!!

Mary and Uncle Kenny crawling around on the floor!!!

Prayer with Mary and the Father's Heart

When Robert and I knew we would have a child together, we would discuss at length what we wanted to establish as a foundation, what we wouldn't do and what we wished we had done in the past......well, that's more relevant to Robert since Mary is my first! LOL!
SO - the biggest thing we felt/FEEL is important is being consistent with praying -Praying one-on-one with God, with each other, and as a family at mealtimes, meltdowns (yes, as one night I rocked my child and prayed while she experienced a traumatic night terror - it was one for me, too!) whatever the situation....we want Mary to know that God is ALWAYS there and is ready to listen and talk to her at anytime, for anything. So we started implementing this with Mary, in China.
So Robert and I make sure that every meal and every night, our hands our together and heads are bowed with Mary and she's right along with us - even though she doesn't know the profound significance of this communication, she watches us intently and smiles - what a thrill for my heart and a responsibility too!!! Anway, I really recognize the power of our ACTIONS because a couple of days after we got home, I laid down with Mary for her nap. We're quiet, but laughing and trying to sleep when all of a sudden, she just rolls towards me, faces me with those BIG, BROWN EYES and she puts her hands together in prayer, smiles and ..just looks at me. I put my hands together, smile (oh, my heart is just LEAPING!) and look back......she then, slips her little 'prayer' hands into mine and just leaves them there. I immediately just started to pray to God, thanking Him for Mary and for all He does for us. An incredible moment, one that I will never forget and one that is surely growing me up!
Next, loving music and CeCe Winans the way I do, I just HAD to introduce Mary to a little rhythmic dance move you make during CeCe's song "Pray"......this particular move is very simple, and one day - I WILL get her on video doing this - but she is sooooo ADORABLE, bobbing her head, smiling and moving her little 'prayer' hands from side to side and she does it sooooo well! CeCe would be proud!
Lastly, I grew up surrounded by various environments (certain denominations too - gotta be fair!) that conditioned me to believe that God only loved me if I was "good"....you know, all the moral things a monkey can be trained to do with the exception of giving it's heart to Jesus and being spiritually transformed! I also believed that God did NOT love me when I sinned. I believed that He never forgot my sins too and that's such a cruel lie. The point is - times that I doubted, rebelled, committed sins that I thought would condemn my life forever, times I was really angry at God and pitched a fit, raised my fist and was depressed or whatever.........He DID.....He DOES love me and while I have come to embrace the true Father heart of God in the past few years, He's REALLY laying it on me hard and heavy with my 28 month old daughter!
I love her in the midst of her frustration, I love her so completely when she's angry because she just doesn't see the big picture.....not yet..she doesn't understand....(are you getting this, too?!?!?) I ache for her when she's scared, I cry with her, for her (and for her birth mother) and I'm always watchful of her to protect her, I delight in hearing her laugh and being silly and I'm all but doing the touchdown dance when she learns something, mastered a simple task and I just LOVE it when she falls into my arms, so pleased with herself that she did it! I am adament to tell her how proud I am of her, to tell her 'that's my girl' and.... okay......I DO a few victory dances too, she and I are very cool with that! (until she grows into her teens, so I'm told!).
So more than ever, I'm learning to give myself a break when I screw up as I really see this Father heart, the Parent heart of God as He deals with ALL His children, especially His older children like myself. I don't see Him as a license to sin, - never - I'm just not going to allow guilt, shame, or horrible people who want to be hurtfuland are unaccountable stop me from loving Him and moving forward. My Father, OUR Father, who art in heaven, wants me to grow in the fullness of Him and learn, just as I want that for Mary and I'm so committed and impassioned to live the rest of my life helping to lead her to soak in the presence of her Heavenly Father.

What's Goin' On!

First, here's a GREAT pic that Robert's sister, Nancy took at the airport of Robert holding Mary - I absolutely love this picture because it truly captures both Father and daughter beaming, comfortable and in love with each other while also enjoying being HOME!!!

Well, the Busindas' are finally getting to a normal pattern of sleep and Mary is ALMOST on Tennessee time! The night before last, Mary was down for 9 hours and last night, she actually slept 12 hours - HOO-RAY!!!!!!!! We're noticing how Mary has a tendancy to wake up for a little bit, babble to herself and then go back to sleep. Mom had about 12 hours last night as that's the most I've slept since we've been back home. Robert's been able to rest when Mary has but Mom hasn't (Nap OR bedtime - I can tell I'm a 'first time worrying Mom!) so Robert kept close eye on Mary last night while I shnoozed in the back bedroom. NOW, I think we're all up to speed on our rest AND a schedule - WOO-HOO!!!!

Next, Mary had a visit to the International Adoption Clinic at Vanderbilt Children's hospital yesterday - it was an AWESOME visit and I'm sooooo grateful for such a positive report. First of all, as Mom, Dad and Mary were well rested, we put Mary in the car seat for the first time - went smooth as a baby's butt!!!! She was sooo good and smiled at both of us when I would turn around to look at her and was just so wonderful to hang out with - no tears! As we were driving to the hospital, looking at my happer and well-rested daughter, looking at my husband and holding onto his hand, it felt soo good, so sweet to be this 'family', to be more than just husband and wife but father and mother with a daughter as well......still can't describe it. Another great thing was that Mary also reached out to Robert to hold her, carry her and love on her in addition to me so it looks like she's really getting it into her heart that now - she has a mother and father = a family!!!!!

To sum the 4 hour hospital visit, Mary's growth parameters were measured according to an American growth chart, not Chinese and where weight, height, and head circumference were all within normal limits!!!! We made follow up appointments with the occupational and developmental therapist and her appointment with the cardiologist is next week. That was a given as to her repaired heart defects as well as the murmur that she has so we look forward to that visit. Mary also had a chest x-ray and then the LAST STOP WAS THE LAB!!!! 15 vials of blood they took from baby girl as dad held her and mom distracted her. (I think this was harder on Dad than Mary!) When they first inserted the needle, she did cry but then the cry became a whimper - apparently she knew the drill! She was absolutely amazing during the whole time and even the nurse exclaimed that Mary was their best patient that day! Wrapping it up, Mary was waving to the nurses and blowing kisses and they were so sweet to give her a little stuffed animal! Vanderbilt ROCKS! So with all of that, we'll follow up with the labs and poop specimen mom got today with our pediatrician, Dr. Donna Lett - she's the WOMAN! We're believing for another good report.

Lastly, the Businda family came over this past Saturday night for a cook out and while Mary was slow to warm up, by the end of the night, she reached out to Grandpa, played with Kenny - who was hysterical, opened up her awesome gifts from Grandpa, Diane, Jacob and Nancy and it was a great introduction to the wonderful family that I already know and such a kind and Christlike family who loves and embraces this gift from God! Today and yesterday have been just, very, VERY cool as this immediate family has been chilling, and spending some intimate and fun time with each other - Mary is definitely becoming more and more comfortable and her bond with Robert is getting stronger and stronger! Also, she's babbling, cooing and communicating more so we'll be starting just a couple of 'signs' and start the baby sign language soon!!!!

We're headed to Wal-mart for a short trip (hopefully) and I'll be posting at the end of this week! 'Til then, enjoy these other pictures Aunt Nancy took of Mary at our cook-out!!!!

We're HOME!!!!!

BIG, MAJOR, HUGE SHOUT OUT TO KIM BANKS FOR TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS ON THIS BLOG WHILE WE WERE OUT - WE LOVE YOU - YOU ROCK!!!!
Wow - what a journey, and what a long, freakin' ride home - let me say, that for my daughter, I would do it again in a heartbeat! According to how Robert was figuring our travel time through the time changes, we were up and at it (along with our toddler, Mary) for about 28 hours - and we're still feeling it!

Before I recap on the Consulate appointment, our trip back home and the amazing welcome we had, I want to share with you mine and Robert's thoughts overall about the families that journeyed with us and thoughts on adoption in general. When all of the families were reunited in Ghuangzhou, it was such a happy reunion. 30 families suddenly grew into about 90? or so people and it was so awesome to see everyone joined with their children, hearing and sharing of everyone's journey.....just amazing. Even more profound in this miracle of adoption is the fact that our awesome God TRULY handpicks our children as a perfect fit for our families. Most of the families came to adopt 'special needs' children and I can personally attest that there was no family who considered ANY of the children 'special needs' - just purely - special. But within that concept, it was amazing to see how God gave each family a specific vision, prepared their hearts and EQUIPPED them to be the parent/steward for each of these little miracles, whatever their 'special need' was. When I first started this blog, I had shared how I finally got the concept that God designed me to be a mother through the miracle of adoption, not through the miracle of natural conception; so what Robert and I just experienced doesn't even articulate the wonder and amazement of our PERFECT God and how HE rolls - through what we've witnessed.

TO ALL OF THE FAMILIES OF TRAVEL GROUP 133: It's an honor to have been on this journey beside you, Robert and I respect your courage, obedience to God in spite of circumstances and naysayers, and we are inspired and encouraged by the depth of love you have for your spouse, for your children, your biological children, family, God and your passion for adoption - YOU ROCK!!!!!!!

TO OUR FELLOW HEFEI FAMILIES - THE LUTZS' & VIDEONS: Again, isn't God so cool to have placed beside us parents and families that we could really relate to, laugh and cry with ?!?!?!? Robert & Mary and I are so excited to be an extension of your families and truly, let's really try to make that reunion happen........our daughters are sisters we look forward to keeping in touch with you and watching all of these beauties grow into the amazing women that God desires, according to His word! WE LOVE YOU!

So......our last day was the appointment at the U.S Consulate in Ghuangzhou and we swore that all the information provided was true to the best of our knowledge.......It was great to see a formal American presence and it was awesome that our love for our children through this adoption process was respected and acknowledged. After it was ALL official, there was whooping, hand-clapping and for me -tears. At that moment, God (AGAIN!) confirmed who HE is and that NOTHING gets in the way of what HE wants accomplished. At that moment, no government offical, or screwed up, missed paperwork, no one who could or did drop a ball, no one who could have tried to threaten or dismiss this miracle.....NO ONE......NOTHING......stopped God. My confidence is strengthened in this moment that truly, no matter what happens, in the midst of circumstances, if the seed and vision of what God has called you to is just busting out of your heart, nothing can stop it, no matter how frustrating, frightening, disappointing or confused life can get. What GOD wants - GOD gets and Robert and I are so honored to have this dream of ours not only blessed by God but we are honored that God thought enough of us to give us this assignment and see it through. Of course, we're just at the begining really, but getting through the past 2 years, and coming to the finish line of this segment of the journey, has reaffirmed to us the rewards of obedience, no matter what.

So - we get the final paperwork which is sealed in an envelope and cannot be opened until we get to customs in the U.S and I point to Mary's offical name: MARY KATHERINE BUSINDA - I asked Robert, "How does it feel to see this name, what it represents and be standing here right now"? Through the tears in his eyes, he nodded his head and said it felt great. I'm really hoping God allowed Robert's mother, Mary and Aunt Kitty to see this moment cause it meant so many things to us both and our baby Mary's name is a tribute to both of these women. I cried for joy all the way to the bus, and just cried with a greatful heart and in awe of my sovereign God.

THE RIDE HOME: Robert and I conjured up what we call, our 'majic juice' which was really, children's benedryl. Now we did try this remedy with Mary on the plane ride from Hefei to Ghuangzhou and although she fought it for everything she had, when it finally hit her - she was OUT! Our strategy was to hold off on giving it to her until about a few hours into the LONG segment from Beijing to Chicago. Well, Mary had a couple of meltdowns in the Ghuangzhou airport before we board, she was sooooo tired and I'm certain really ticked at ANOTHER FREAKIN' ROAD TRIP!!!! Poor baby, she had NO idea what was in store for her. But we get on the first leg of our flight, and for the 3 hour flight, she did really well, and actually fell asleep 30 minutes before we landed. So next leg - the LONG leg: she falls asleep as we're boarding the plane and I'm praying she STAYS that way but NO - as we sit down, her little head shoots up and she just HAS to see what's going on.........not looking good. She's hanging okay the first couple of hours, then the sleep deprivation starts really kicking in and since 'dinner' was about to be served we thought, hey - let's give her the "majic juice" right after her full belly! Rock on - we did and she............seemed to respond totally OPPOSITE!!!! The hilarious thing about our daughter is as hard as she fights sleep, she does it sooooo comically! So in addition to her trying to laugh and entertain her way out of sleep, she was totally deprived of it and she was just going bonkers. At times when we had to be firm with her, Robert and I both had to look away from her and keep telling each other, "don't look at her, don't look at her" cause we were just ROLLING WITH LAUGHTER at her!!!! I'm sure our sleep deprivation was over the edge too, but man, it was so frustrating and hilarious at the same time - this little miracle really is a perfect fit for our family as no language barrier can mask her inner smart aleck!!!! Over all, by the time we get to Chicago, we're starved, talking about loaded baked potatoes, steak, italian, mexican food and sooooo tired that I'm getting a little vertigo - very weird! But we make it, we're all running and bumping into things, getting really cocky and punchy with each other and just laughing at anything and it was just sooooooo good to get HOME! As we approached baggage claim (for the LAST time) we see Kenny, Tim, Nancy and my mom and stepdad, Mike! It was very cool and again, I saw in Mary's eyes she was getting concerned. But I'm so glad she saw and met a few of the family as when we got to the bottom of the escalater, our family from the Worship and Creative Arts Ministry from our church, Fairview and our "NO FEAR" friends were at the bottom, cheering Mary with signs, a balloon and lots of good 'ole southern love and hugs!!!!! Still a little confused, our daughter is really loving the attention and starts getting comfortable with the crowd! Rock on, and for the record, Robert and I were and still are so whacked out by the time difference and jet lag that we can hardly remember what we said, or did so if we were 'out there'-----well, we were so thanks in advance for understanding. I'm about to post some pics and know that in the next few days, I'll post how baby girl is adjusting. Her little body is REALLY reeling and of course, she's had some periods of confusion but it will all work out and for the most part, especially with the travels, MARY HAS DONE GREAT! She really is a tough little girl, with the sweetest heart and funny disposition!

The Hefei families about to meet our babies for the first time!!!!

My first glimpse of Mary!
Robert meeting Mary and introducing, "Curious George"!!!! The Orphanage Director holding Mary
Mary Diggin' the Ramen Noodles!!!!!
Mom and Mary at the park!
Mary working her first 'pedicure'!!!!
Baby girl in the outfit Toni got her! Dad & Mary checking out the flowers! SUPER MARY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Family Photo in the Lobby The Hefei Families trying to get situated for the picture in the lobby!
Okay - this one will do........???? :)

And then she said....

I just received an email from Ronda's mom and she spoke with Ronda this morning for about 25 minutes and Ronda wants everyone to know that Mary called her "Mama" for the first time this morning!!! Oh, that had to be sooo sweet to hear. Beverly mentioned that she could hear Robert and Mary playing in the background, so she is definitely bonding with her daddy too!! Beverly said the Busindas are ready to come home (as we are ready for them to be home as well!) ...and as I'm sure Ronda will take this blogging back over tomorrow when she returns let me end by saying this has been a blast for me the past couple of weeks!!! Much love, Kim

Getting Ready!!!

Well, we just finished shooting some adorable pictures of Mary and all the other babies before our "Swearing In" ceremony at the Consulate Office. Still don't know what we're 'swearing in' but this will be the final formality and then we can finish packing!!! Big shout out to Toni Hays for the amazing outfit she got Mary over a year ago - and congratulations on your nuptials!!!!

We already have one suitcase ready, 2 more to go and it shouldn't be such an ordeal this time as BEFORE we left!!!! YEE-HAH!!!!! Well, Mary has had enough of pictures and Mommy and Daddy on the internet so we're hoping for a really good nap before the road trip to the Consulate and some last minute shopping!!!!

The park yesterday was beautiful and while we have really enjoyed this last leg of the trip, we just can't wait to get home!!!!!! Anyone needing our flight info can get it through Robert's brother Kenny, or my mother BJ! We might not have a chance to post again, so please join us in agreement that Mary will have a GREEEAAATTT long slumber from Beijing to Chicago and that we arrive safely to the LAND OF THE FREEEEE!!!!!!!!

We love you all and I will post each and every picture we took AS SOON AS WE GET HOME!!!!!!!

Robert, Ronda and Mary, saying, "GOODBYE GUANGZHOU, HELLO LEBANON"!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Picture!!!!

Thanks to Ronda's sweet mom, we finally have a glimpse of the Businda's as a family. After scouring the blogspots of the different families that are with Ronda and Robert in China, she came across this picture yesterday afternoon!! Please continue to pray for Ronda, Robert and Mary as they wrap up their time in China and prepare for the looooong trip home!! And thanks again, Beverly!!! =)

Almost Over!!!

Well, first things first: We are nowhere near the "earthquake" zone!!! Yippeeeeee and as Robert says, "PRAISE THE LORD" !!!!! As a matter of fact, not even near a cyclone either! Our journey has been very protected and blessed of God so we anticipate a very safe and uneventful exit as well which can't be soon enough!!!!! It is Tuesday morning now, we have just finished up breakfast and our guides Lineker and wife Amy are meeting with the Consulate on all of the families behalf. Unless there is a question and we have not heard from them, the consulate appointment is final, finished and there will be nothing left to do except to receive the final documents, pack, sight see a little more and get ready for the long ride home!!!!

Yesterday was Mary's medical exam....really, it boils down to taking all of the children to a clinic to make sure that anyone traveling to the U.S. has a clean bill of health which will complete the Visa process. As long as we had to stand and wait, and wait (2 1/2 hours), Mary did remarkable. One little meltdown and that was of course, around the time of her nap anyway, so she was out at the time we had to wake her up and see the doctor!!!!!

After that, we strolled out and just mosied around the island, and it was nice to just....relax as a family. Mary is really adjusting and bonding with Robert better every day. We can't wait to get home so that we can ALL be on a schedule and not have to anticipate another bus ride, or documents....it's really all so stressful and Mary can sense it as well. So when we got back to the hotel, Robert and I just decided to hang in the hotel the rest of the day. Since Mary didn't really get her nap in, we thought we'd just play hard, bond, eat in and chill. Worked out great!!!! The three of us had a blast pouncing on each other, loving on each other, tickles, hugs, laughs.......was just amazing and time flew by and I really do believe it was the most productive bonding times for all of us!

Then.....the door bell rings.......and its our dinner!!!! For just 124 Yeun, (about $$ 18) we got a cheese steak, turkey sub, two fries, and two chips, plus the delivery charge - awesome! Robert and I just can't wait to eat our french fries when Mary (or the 'princess' as we refer to her now!) just picks up one of the french fries, promptly sits her self down and eats them as if they were her own!!! SHE LOVES CARBS! And bacon......and ....sausage and noodles. Not much on fruit, or veggies, she does NOT like anything COLD! Yep, Robert and I had a nestle ice cream bar and she just looked at it. She would hold the stick and hand it back to us as if it were a grenade!!! - Cool, more for mommy!!!!

Mary doesn't talk, but is starting to speak some kind of something?!?! yet she understands what we say, very, VERY well! It also seems that as she gets more comfortable with us, her (for lack of a better word) 'phrases' are becoming more frequent. They are spoken softly but matter of factly and yet when she gets ticked, girlfriend has a set of lungs!!!!

Bath time is now a really fun time for Mary - and they told us 'chinese children don't like baths'. Well, maybe they need to add some cool "No Fear" bath toys, bubbles and two parents who really know how to have fun with kids and any chinese child would be diggin' it!

We're off to Starbucks for mommy, the room to confirm that everything went well with the Consulate and off to a really beautiful park! Oh - by the way in case I didn't mention it, Robert and Mary presented me with a BEAUTIFUL MOTHER'S DAY GIFT Sunday morning! I received a beautiful card and watch which was also a graduation gift. What an incredible way to spend your first Mother's Day - in China with your new baby and awesome husband!!!!

We will try to post before our long 24 hour flight home, leaving 9am Thursday morning from Guangzhong, to Beijing, to Chicago and back to Nashville!!!! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--

3rd Leg of the Journey!!

Hey Everyone -

Robert, Ronda and Mary here in the business center at the Marriott in Ghuangzhou!!! Well, we made it and we're so happy that we're now on the third leg of this journey in our adoption process with Mary which means, we're closing to coming home!!!

Guangzhou is sooooo different than Hefei and we feel much safer here! We just took a 10 minute taxi to what we would consider "baby row" of tiny children's shops by the children's hospital. We bought a cheap stroller and a very annoying keyboard that sounds like the ice cream man is stalking everyone!!!! Robert and I will have to take the batteries out of it when we board the plane for home!!! We also bought Mary her first pair of squeaky shoes - can't wait to see her experience those! All of this was about $25.00 US dollars - Woo-Hoo!!!!!

Alot of final paperwork ahead and getting more laundry done both in our room AND through the laundry service here!!! For whatever reason, we have not been able to receive voice mails or text messages on Robert's cell phone so we're not ignoring anyone, just can't get them for some reason!!!!!

This Marriott is an absolutely beautiful, state of the art 'everything' hotel so this is a perfect place to wrap up a very tiring but memorial adventure. The local people here are very nice, polite and have made us feel very welcome to their city of 8.6 million! Believe it or not, they have palm trees, so I suppose we're in the "florida" of China!!!!

You can tell when we go out that Mary is very overstimulated and awed by all of these new experiences. She does better back in our room and now that ALL 30 families are back from their provinces with their babies, it's great to share stories and be reunited. Robert feels somewhat better that most of the dads are experiencing the same reactions from their new daughters he's not alone! At the very least, Robert's really cool with having a flat screen TV in our room on the wall with American channels!!!!

We love everyone and will try to post as we can and promise great pictures with captions when we get home. Long day tomorrow - take care!!!!

Little Miss Businda!!

Well - It's been very hectic and the atmosphere in Hefei is definitely different than in Beijing. And...we can't WAIT TO COME HOME! We took a trip to the orphanage yesterday and even before that trip, Mary has experienced moments of confusion,even though she has developed a healthy attachment to me. She IS attaching to Robert, he seems to be her play buddy and boy, does she LOVE to play with him. When it comes to cuddling, she's still very shy and uncomfortable with it. But the people in Hefei are very .......forward. Good intentions of course, but Mary has been literally picked up by a man in the elevator and she was pretty much a celebrity at the Carrefour!!! Truly, thank God we had the card from our agency to explain to the locals why we had this beautiful Chinese baby. Most women, nod their head in approval, say, "lucky baby" but more than anything, people were commenting on Mary's beauty. Our guide Yvonne, was translating their comments back so we were very flattered and man, I truly wished we had brought our camera as she truly IS beautiful. But in all the commotion and admiration, this has a tendancy to confuse her as when we get back to the hotel room and settle down, you can almost read it in her eyes, "What am I doin' with THESE people"???? The orphanage was very traumatic for Mary and for another mother and myself just because we felt that our babies thought they were returning and then we had to whisk them away........again!!!!! SO - we got through it, praise GOD! I can promise you that every day is better, stronger, more laughs, hugs and very tender!!!! So here are some things about Mary and every day reveals more depth to this incredible little girl that God has placed in our lives. I swear, He could not have hand picked a better fit for Robert and I!!! Sweet Mary: When she is in the middle of playing or walking or whatever and just opens her arms up and falls into mine. Or when she reaches up inside my sleeve and starts rubbing my shoulder. The eye contact between us is incredible and regarding attachment techniques, we are definitely the exception! Funny Mary: This little comic has more facial expressions than I do!!!!! She does it all with a sneaky, mischievious smile or a giggle. She's VERY animated and loves bobbing her head or pointing her fingers and/or hands as if she's giving someone the brush-off which leads to----- Mary with an Attitude!: We figured this came from being so small and having to fend for herself on the playground or with her foster siblings! For 28 months old, she wears about 18 mos but is pretty good in 24 months clothing. SO - the families agreed that apparently, there is NO referee on the playground in addition to the fact that the children are VERY territorial!!!! For instance, little Alanna Videon came into our room while we are playing and of course, we play pretty hard and Mary is eating, spilling and tossing Cheerios left and right. At one exchange she throws a handful of Cheerios at Alanna's face! YIKES! Alanna gives it right back and they both seem really good with it! One day I made Mary really angry (was it when I gave her the suppository?) and she just glared at me. So as I placed the bath toys beside her on the night stand to play with, she knocked them off, shrugged her shoulders, cocked her head like some Mafia gangster was saying, "You want a piece of me"?! ?!? No lie! It's pretty funny for now, we'll see how it plays out at home! Another scenario was when we were all on our way to the orphanage, little Joey Lutz came down the bus aisle and was admiring Mary's buddy, Curious George. Now Mary was really having nothing to do with George at the time, but Jeoy just picked him up to look at him and baby girl started to scream at him, lunged for George and Joey was very sweet to understand that for right now, George was Mary's security blanket. SO - Mary is now clinging to George when all of a sudden, little Joey comes back down the aisle and with no provocation, Mary starts using George as a weapon and tries slinging poor George at little Joey!!!! I pull her back and thank God, Jim and Tina Lutz have raised such a gracious, wise, understanding little boy! Mary likes to scratch little kids as a gesture of "hello" as well.....once again, we think this is playground ritual for the SWI in Hefei. She doesn't do that anymore......Sunday School i n Fairview ought to be interesting once she gets acclimated!!! Scared Mary: Baby girl's big brown eyes get really serious and wide when she's feeling that something's about to go down......like bedtime, daddy picking her up, or her antibiotics (she was presented to us with a bad upper respiratory infection which is going away, thank God!) As tough as she can present when she plays, this is when you can really see how vulnerable she really is. She really searches everyone and everything out, and Robert and I both believe can pretty well assess a situation out as her foster mother confirmed, that Mary is very 'clever'. Genius Mary: You won't believe this! As Robert and I are just talking about going out and about in the hotel yesterday, we're discussing where to go and just out of nowhere, I said, "Mary, go get daddy's shoes" - Mary went straight for Robert's shoes, picked them up and HANDED THEM TO HIM!!!!! And she doesn't know english!!!! OMG!!!!! I think she's very attuned to our vocal tones and body language but that one, left us with our jaws hanging wide open! She's very curious, and LOVES electronics! Anytime we have the cameras out, or are pushing buttons, she's ON IT and just pushing and really looking at everything! At one point, she successfully locked Robert out of the safe AND cell phone! Robert thought she is already an analytical thinker in the way that she studies objects or toys, pretty much takes them apart and puts them back, very organized. I suppose the way Robert did when he used to take a lawnmower apart and put it back together!!!!!!Her referral described her as being fond of imitating and that is an understatement - she is a master observer and whatever you do once, she pretty much has it down and constantly astounds Robert and I that she does it again the next day without any prompting! Robert lovingly reminds me that good or bad, we ARE the example!!!! Creative Mary: As Robert and I have gone through our water bottles and cans of Pringles, we've been using them for toys and percussion instruments! Mary Loves It! She can really shake her booty too, to music. She has this little dance move where she wiggling her booty, shaking her hands and turing around in a circle! It's awesome! Girly Girl Mary: Until this morning, Mary would wake up crying....like any toddler, I suppose but one of the first things we do after she gets a dry pull up on is that she LOVES me to brush and fix her hair!!!!! That seems to get her day started right, even before it's shampooed. Today, I filed her little fingernails, as it looks like they were always clipped or peeled off. She loved that too and I'm hoping that if she wants to use them to claw one of her peers to say, "hi", that her little 'manicure' will lessen the sting of that initial impression. In sum, Mary fits right in and we recognize a few areas beyond the avereage toddler that will require mine and Roberts commitment, attention and support. It's obvious she has never learned to crawl, she's SO wobbly but we're working on it and she's catching on it a little bit. I'm sure we'll get better instruction when we take her to Vanderbilt when we get home. Also, she's never, EVER been out in public, so she has no idea of what is expected of her, behavior or manners wise and the language barrier compounded with that I'm sure, makes it tougher for her. But even still, God never gives us more than we can handle and we feel that since Mary truly is a perfect fit for us and our family that God knew we were the ones that could help her blossom and grow to be the woman that God sees her! We are so delighted in her, our love for her grows stronger every minute, we discover something new about her every day and she' becoming more and more comfortable, just like family. We just ca n't WAIT for you to meet her but here's one big warning........... She gives GREAT HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -- Ronda B! Love hard, play hard, laugh hard

Gotcha Day and More!

Well, as you could probably guess, SOOO much going on and Nancy Videon, one of our buddies has been kind enough to let me use her laptop to make a quick post!

Let me back up and mention that a while ago, my mother kept telling me that the day I finally meet my daughter, that our eyes would lock and Mary would know. Didn't quite buy that but if Kim hasn't posted that, you can bet your sweet bippy that what Momma said is SO!!!!! It was actually easier than I thought and there are so many other dynamics in the emotions that came and went that I'll have to post that later.

But in the meantime, here's where we are currently. We are officially Mary's parents in Hefei City! Yesterday we all had to go back to the Civil Affairs office for one final interview, a family photo and the notary finalizing the paperwork. Yesterday was a little more emotional for me as our 'family portrait' here in China on a certificate made it a reality for me!

Mary is coming out of her shell and she LOVES to laugh and has a mischievous smile!!!! Yesterday she and Robert were really hanging close together and today, she was very distant from him. As a matter of fact, a little distant from me to and yet, right now, we're all doing well - SO as I've heard in the adoption world, you have to leave yourself open to the ups and downs of attachment. Robert and Mary have actually done very, VERY well in spite of the statistics so I'm so very happy for Robert!!!

So much more and I hope Kim got the photo of Mary I emailed her from the cell phone. If she did, I'll email her more pics! Oh yeah, Mary is diggin the baths!!!!! Thank you for being so patient while we're here - Mary just came up to me and put her arms around me - I am so madly in love with her!!!! OH - ONE MORE THING!

When we came home from the first day, we were all doing so well and Mary finally got the idea that we weren't going anywhere and that actually - she wasn't getting away from us. She grieved really, really, hard! ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT - it was so sorrowful and heartbreaking but I just kept holding her, rocking her and singing to her. I may have gotten about 4 hours of sleep. At one time, when I heard Mary sleeping and Robert snoring, I said to myself, "Welcome to Motherhood" and I smiled through my tears. I'm CERTAIN, I heard God say, "Rock On"!!!! He was smiling too!!!!!

--
Ronda B!
Love hard, play hard, laugh hard

P.S....Kim here, I did not receive the picture she is speaking of... :'(

And Then There Were THREE!!!!

Good morning all, Kim here! I had a voice mail from Ronda this morning when I got to work. They have BABY GIRL!!!! Ronda mentioned in the message that her mom had told her before she left not to worry as soon as she and Mary locked eyes they would just know each other....and Ronda said that is indeed what happened!! She said as soon as Mary saw her she just locked eyes with her and wouldn't look away....awwww, Mom's know everything!! ;-) Ronda said that after they got her everyone was getting along great but when they returned to the hotel their Chinese guide began speaking to Mary in Chinese and she became confused and began to grieve so they had a tough night. But I could hear Robert and Mary in the background playing during the message and Ronda said she was better this morning and she and Robert were bonding. Ronda mentioned that she would try to pix message me later and as soon as I receive it I'll post it so everyone can see her!! Just continue to pray for them as they begin the bonding process and pray for little Mary as she is experiencing so much change all at once. God ordained this family and He will take care of them!

Chinese food....Chinese food...and Oh! some more Chinese food!!!

Since Robert and I have met, fallen in love and have been married for almost 10 years now, we have both experienced what we call (A LOT!) of "firsts'. As in, things that both of us are experiencing as husband and wife that we never have in previous relationships. We believe in our heart of hearts that God certainly put us together and we have tried to live our lives individually and collectively to serve Him to the best of our intentions to please Him.

Well this morning, we arrive at Beijing International Christian Fellowship and we really didn't know quite what to expect. Well, it was awesome to experience praise and worship not only with 40 other families from America World, but people from ALL over the world! The pastor who gave the message this morning was from Tanzania and taught a lot out of the book of Revelation and the church getting ready to meet Jesus. Robert and I truly felt the power of the Holy Spirit in this church (which was actually held in a hotel theatre) more so perhaps because we were worshipping God in a communist country! THAT was a first! And it is truly a blessing and an amazing journey to go through this life with a partner who prays WITH you, For you and Grows with you. As I mentioned, neither one of us had experienced God so intimately before in our lives, much less in a marriage that is centered around him. We are excited to expand upon this experience with Mary!

Next, we toured the Jade Factory which was awesome as Robert made a couple of very special purchases!!!! No salesperson stalked us as bad, that was cool! On to lunch (you have 3 guesses as to what we ate and the first two don't count!) and on to the Great Wall of China!

WOW - INCREDIBLE - AMAZING.........built more than 2,000 years ago and around 4,500 miles, this is an awesome wonder of the world. Another "first", Robert & I climbed to the top over 2,000 feet with just over 7,000 stairs - round trip. Of course, that is not the whole wall but as Robert says, we didn't have enough Naproxsyn to do the whole wall! Looking all around from the very top, the landscape was just beautiful! The mountains were unlike most that we've seen in the states and again, just being amazed at God's greatness!

Back on the bus headed to dinner...(What do you think we had??).....well - you guessed right!!!!! We've heard there is a pizza place in Hefei City so we three families are hardcore to get something different! We hope the babies love it! Anyway, we're headed to the pool to relax our muscles, packing again to go get Mary, our bags have to be outside our door at 10:30pm tonight so we can catch our flight tomorrow and be on a bus by 5:30am - SHARP!

We don't know how much sleep we'll get and again, we'll try to take some pics to figure how we may be able to get them on the blogspot. We're nervous, excited, sleep deprived and very emotional (in a great way) about meeting our daughter for the first time!!!!! Our flight is only 1 1/2 hours so that's good and if you can guess what we'll be eating for breakfast on the flight in.......well,.....then you know what you can expect to eat when you visit China!!!! We love you all!

--
Ronda & Robert!

When It Rains...It Pours!!!

Okay - what do you get when you have a rainstorm, black clouds, high winds and cold, cold air chasing all of Beijing and tourists in an underground tunnel Tiananmen Square? Uhhh....a very cool, humorous wacky experience! Well, it was packed like sardines and for the most part, Robert and I stood out in our cheap umbrella we got from a vendor (who later was hauled off and arrested after he sold it to us - NOT KIDDING!) and we got DRENCHED! It really was fun! Robert's hair held up well! He's so proud!

It rained the WHOLE day with the temperature dropping. Our guide, Lineker said this was unusual weather for Beijing! Anyway, hardly any pictures because of the weather but that's okay - we'd rather take more for tomorrow when we get baby girl anyway!!!!

Today's agenda is the Christian church service, Great Wall of China, and the Jade Market. And.....of course..... MORE chinese food. Let's also say that ....well.....Robert and I both LOVE the China Buffet in Lebanon by the Walmart!!!!!! It's pretty bad when your plate of brown 'stuff' tastes.....slimy!!! Robert says he's getting skinny. Its also great to have packed some protein bars and LOTS of chocolate! When I woke up at 2am this morning (thinking of Mary, of course) my 'dinner' consisted of Butterfingers - rock on!!!!

Oh, also, we were stalked at the pearl factory by a lovely sales lady. She followed us EVERYWHERE and she knew every english word except, "no, thank you"! Robert and I didn't quite have such a problem at the silk market, which was AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL but now - we have a strategy! We figured if a salesperson starts to just follow us, we'll split up!!!!! Then, we'll tell the salesperson the other one has the money!!!!!

We washed our wet clothes in the sink last night and dried our shoes with the hotel hair dryer - whatever works! This city of about 18 million people is just incredible - stretches for miles, high rise residential buildings and crazy drivers everywhere! We have gotten to know the other 2 families, the Videons and the Lutz family who will be traveling very early with us Monday morning to Hefei City to get our daughters! We also have a serious prayer request! There is an outbreak of a virus - a more severe case of "hoof & mouth" disease in the province of Anhui, which is where our daughters are from. Twenty-two children have died so far. Now, Anhui has a few million people in it as well, so we are praying and believing that this virus has not reached Hefei City and that ALL the orphans are safe! God has shown Himself faithful, providing us with wonderful friends and the greatest adventure we have ever been on so we are confident in His word that Mary and the others will be safe! Our flight out to Hefei City is VERY early Monday morning.

We love you all - and remember, as you are sleeping tonight, we'll be meeting Mary!!!!

Love, Robert & Ronda!

WE MADE IT - We're here!!!

WELL - first off, God is GOOD! We made it, along with our luggage although our bodies were totally whacked!!!! The flight from Washington Dulles was long and tedious but not without adventure, even on a plane!

We were ALL THE WAY IN THE BACK OF THE PLANE, in the middle of the middle section! Yeah, know what a sardine feels like for.....14 freakin' hours!!!!

Our flight was delayed due to the "2nd engine" issue as well as an afterthought of, "Hey - we need extra gas".....ya THINK?!?!?! I don't know who the doofus was that forgot THAT but I'm grateful the pilot noticed. After that, we're airborne! Robert is already to partake in the P.M Tylenol to assist us in getting some rest.......after we partake, I notice the ingredients..........hmmm......has Benedryl in it! Great for ME - BAAADD for Robert - Benedryl has the OPPOSITE effect, so my man was up and alert like a prairie dog for most of the trip!!!!! BRIAN B - THANKS FOR HELPING HIM WITH THE I-POD, it saved his sanity! Robert highly recommends "Casting Crowns" for your listening pleasure!

Next, we were very blessed to have sat next to a beautiful, gracious and kind young woman by the name of Wenjing! She is actually from the province of Anhui where Mary is! She is currently going to school at the university of Maryland! She gave us some very wonderful information not only about China, but Hefei City and her life as well. What an awesome experience to sit next to her, it made the flight very sweet!WENJING - Robert and I pray for your success and abundant blessings in your future for you, your husband and your precious baby!

SO - we finally land and of course, that's when Robert starts to get sleepy - poor baby! As we get off the plane it looks as if a cyclone hit it!!! THAT was an incredible sight! The airport in Beijing is BEAUTIFUL and the architects have designed it to resemble a dragon as you look at it from the sky - nice touch for the olympics! Everything went smooth and little by little, we started to meet our fellow adoptive parents! NANCY - we personally met Suzanne and Larry Vincent from California - wonderful couple, so tell Leslie, we'll be seeing alot of them!!!!

As the day progressed, my body started wiggin' out. Started getting REAL clumsy, running and bumping into things, dropping things and talking crazy!!!!! But before we hit the bed -Robert and I along with Joy and Brian Owens from Georgia went to the local Carrefour - the chinese version of WALMART. Very cool and crazy indeed. Must have been 10,000 people in there. The chinese people are very beautiful, we noticed had superb work ethics, polite and just very pleasant! Robert noticed this beautiful, petite woman loading our baggage at the airport for us and this woman was wearing KITTEN HEELS and throwing the luggage as if it was nothing! Robert said he would hire her on the spot at UPS!!!!!! You wouldn't really notice you're in China except for the people. The landscape is beautiful, reminded Robert of St. Louis and EVERYONE in Beijing is building and beautifying the city for the upcoming olympics! We're off to be the tourists, so check out the side bar to see our itinerary. MAD LOVE TO EVERYONE - 2 more days and we have MARY!!!!!!!!

I will try to recap the days events tonight as it will be early in the morning for you!!!!!

--
Ronda B!
Love hard, play hard, laugh hard

They Have Arrived...and China Will Never Be the Same!!

Hello All! I received a text message from Ronda this morning at about 5 a.m. (approx. 6 p.m. in Beijing). She wanted me to let everyone know that they made it there safe and sound-though they are walking zombies!! She also said there will be more to come later. I'm sure they are resting now as it is 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 3rd for them as I type this. I can't wait to hear more and share it with you all!

Mystery Blogger Revealed!!

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to take a quick moment to introduce myself, as I will be filling you all in as Ronda sends me updates over the next couple of weeks. I'm Kim and when Ronda asked me about being her "Mystery Blogger" I was excited to be able to help her out in this very small way as she and Robert begin this most amazing and wonderful adventure!! I had a voicemail from Ronda this morning as they were waiting in the airport. She said her adrenaline was high and her emotions were even higher!! I'm so excited to hear how the trip is going and you guys will be the first to know as soon as she sends me stuff. As I had lunch with Ronda yesterday, I told her how I had recently remembered her coming into my office over 2 years ago and sitting down and telling me how she and Robert had decided they were going to adopt. I think we were both in tears...I know, I know we're women hahaha...but back to the story...and as we sat and talked about the anticipation of her leaving today to get Mary it was so amazing to see how God had taken this process full circle. He is soooo good and I can't wait to meet this little miracle, Mary!! In the words of my dear friend and yours....ROCK ON!! :-D