4 Months Since "Gotcha!"

This is the eve of  four months since "Gotcha" day for our precious China doll.  It's hard to even imagine how life was in the Conerly house before bringing her home from China.  Our lives have definitely changed.....for the better!!

Many asked me if I would continue blogging after getting home from China.  I soon realized that it is much easier to blog when you're 12,000 miles away and staying in a five star hotel than it is to be surrounded by responsibilities.....on top of that taking care of a very active toddler! So this is my first post since China....finally!!

Once we got home and eventually got over jet-lag (that was absolutely miserable!), we were slowly ready to start venturing out with our new addition.  I was definitely a blog-stalker before going to China....reading up on suggestions on what you should do once you bring your child home.  I think I broke most of the "rules" (i.e. no one holding her except parents, no traveling, no extracurricular activities for siblings, etc.).   We allowed family and friends to hold Caroline and love on her.  She's very easy to read, and when she seemed unsure of a situation, she would look for her mommy and daddy.  I was right there to take her back in my arms.  We also took a much needed mini family vacation to the beach.  She absolutely LOVES the beach!  It's also very hard to cut out activities for my other children.  Friends and family have been more than willing to help when we've needed it.

Here are a list of "firsts" and things that our sweet Caroline has experienced since being a Conerly~

• She has a beautiful nursery with lots and lots of pink!
• She has parents that love her with all their hearts, and a brother and sister who are her biggest fans
• She has a crib with lots of soft blankets and pillows
• She listens to sweet lullabies and fun children's music
• She has grandparents that truly adore her
• She has aunts, uncles, and cousins who have welcomed her with open arms
• She has a church family that has prayed for her since before she was born
• She has gone from army crawling, to crawling on her knees, to WALKING!!!
• She can clap her hands and wave a princess wave (she is so my daughter!)
• She loves her bath time
• She can give a high five
• She took her first boat ride
• She got her ears pierced
• She loves purses, jewelry, and shoes
• She loved to play in the sand at the beach
• She loves taking walks with Mommy, and taking golf cart rides with Daddy
• She says "Mama","up", "bye"
• She loves cell phones, and her eyes light up when she hears "Siri" talk

She can also be a little naughty! She likes to pull Brin and Savy's hair, and she also tends to pinch to get their attention.  She also hits them on occasion when they're trying to give her a hug.  A saying that we use a lot is "nice hands" in a soothing voice.  She can also roll her eyes, and she's given Daddy a stare down once or twice after he's had to get on to her.  It's very hard not to laugh when this happens!!

We just want to thank our family, friends, community, church, etc. for welcoming her with open arms, and especially....for your prayers.  God is so good!!

 

"Every good and perfect gift comes from above."

James 1:17

Our Last Day in China

Thursday, June 27th (Day 12 in China)

It was so hard to believe that this was our last day in China.  So much has happened in the past couple weeks.  This will be our last post from our hotel room.  It's 11:30 pm, and have been spending the day relaxing and packing.  We leave our hotel at 7:00 tomorrow morning, and fly to Beijing. We have a short layover in Beijing before flying 13 hours to Detroit.  From there we fly Home Sweet Home....Florida! Our flight is scheduled to arrive in Tampa at 10:30 Friday night.  We are so excited, and can't wait to see everyone!

We want to thank all of you for following our journey to Caroline.  Even though we couldn't respond to every message, they meant so much to us.  We felt your love and and especially your prayers! We feel so blessed knowing Brin and Savy were so well taken care of by our families, and friends reaching out to help.  Thank you, thank you, thank you! We love you all!

Our lives are forever changed by this beautiful country.  A baby girl has become part of our lives, her brother and sister's lives, and the lives of our very large family and wonderful group of friends.  We, and so many others, have prayed for this precious girl since before she was born.  We came to China exactly when we were supposed to, to get the specific child that was made just for us. Our hearts are full!

Caroline Aubrey Ying Conerly

 

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart.”
Jeremiah 1:5

 

One Less



Consulate Appointment!

June 26th (Day 11 in China)

 

This was the big day! This is the day that Caroline....on paper....would be OURS!! I couldn't wait to get her dressed up in her little red, white, and blue outfit from Gymboree!  She had to go barefoot because all of the shoes we brought for her were so big on her little feet.  It honestly didn't matter.  She still looked cute as a button, and what are cuter than baby feet? 

 

She is so in love with her ba-ba aka daddy!

Our entire trip is centered around having this appointment with the Consulate. If you miss or are late for this, don't have the right paperwork, etc....it could delay your return to America.  We arrived at the building, and there was already a crowd of people gathered in front of the building waiting for their appointments.  We had to walk through a passoport check point then security.  Our guide kept stressing how cell phones weren't permitted, but she failed to mention watches.  We started putting our belongings in the security tray to be searched, and the guard told Bo that watches were not allowed.  Bo walked over and set it in the window ledge, but the guard told him he'd have to walk it all the way back downstairs.  This meant walking all the way back downstairs through the first check point where the crowd of people were waiting to get in.  I was so happy to see him walk back upstairs! We walked into the room, and saw several other families that we've seen throughout our stay here in Guangzhou.  We all stood and took an oath on behalf of our adopted children, stating that all of the information in our paperwork was true.  They then called our families up one by one to the window.  We were the second family called, so we were in and out of there very quickly.  We were thrilled!!

 

 

 

 

We took her down to the pool later that day. I wasn't sure how she would react when seeing the pool and getting in the water. She had so much fun splashing in the water!

 

 

 

 

We had a lot to celebrate that night!

They offered us fruit for dessert, and brought us some orange wedges.  Caroline loved it!

She was destined for Hardee County!

 

 

This is one of the little girls we've enjoyed talking to during our stay here.  She's 6 1/2 years old, and full of personality! On Gotcha Day, we could hear her doing karate chops down the hall.  It was hilarious! We would see them every morning at breakfast, and she loved giving high fives to everyone she saw.  This precious girl is 6 1/2 years, and she looks much younger.  I got her mom's email address so we could stay in touch.  Here she is with her older sister.  

 

 

 

We are one day closer to seeing these little munchkins.  We have missed them terribly.  FaceTime has helped, but it's not the same.  We'll be home soon, Brin and Savy. We love you!

The Pearl Market & The Chen Family Temple

Tuesday, June 25th (Day 10 in China)

Today was another day we had planned for touring the city.  We decided to tour the Chen Family Temple. Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family is also called Chen Clan Academy or Chen's Lineage Hall which was a place both for offering up sacrifices to ancestors and for study. Now it serves as Guangdong Museum of Folk Arts and Crafts to show the most characteristic Guangdong architecture.

 

Our driver, Yuan, and Lily

 

This was how they slept.  No mattresses, and porcelain pillows.  It doesn't look very comfortable!

Amazing embroidery. 
These can take 1 1/2 years to complete.



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The Chen family seal.

 

You had to look through a magnifying glass to see the beautiful paintings.  Amazing how they can do this! Lily said this is a lost art.  Most of the young people are so focused on their education, and don't have the time to learn these techniques.

 

They place their ancestors names up on

this wall once a year to worship.

Watching the fish.

 



It was so hot, yet Caroline fell fast asleep. 

 Thank goodness there were fans throughout the temple to cool us off.

 

 

I love the beautiful lanterns.

 

Thankfully we had an umbrella to block the sun. 
Did I mention that it was very hot!

 

Caroline was all tuckered out and ready for a good nap.

I love to watch her sleep!

Play time with her toys and of course, the Starbucks bag.

 

Another destination on our tour was the Pearl Market.  This was a six story building filled with stores that sold jewelry, mainly pearls.  I've never seen anything like this before.  We walked in and immediately wondered where in the world to begin.  Every store seemed to look exactly like the next.  Lily took us to one of the stores after I told her what I was searching for.  What I really wanted to buy today were matching earrings for Caroline and Savy to wear on each other's wedding days. 

Sisters have a bond like no other, and they will be so blessed to have each other.  Even though I'm much older than my two sisters, I love them with all my heart.  It will be so special to tell others the story behind the earrings on their wedding days.  I also wanted to purchase a pearl bracelet for me to wear.  This has been the most amazing trip, and I wanted to purchase something symbolic....with a lot of meaning behind it.  Daddy (Ba-Ba) says they're never getting married, and that they'll live with us forever!

Inside the Pearl Market

 

 

Floors and floors of pearls

 I found the perfect pearl earrings for our girls!

 

 

 

 

My black eye pearls will always be a reminder to us of all the Asian pearls still left behind. 

  

 

 

Nanyue King's Tomb & Another Shamian Island Visit

Monday, June 24th (Day 9 in China)

Today was a day we had a city tour.  Our first stop on the tour was The Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King.  This tomb had a total of 10, 434 historical relics.  This tomb is the largest and the best protected found to date in south China.  It is now declared to be one of China's major historical sites.  It also has a collection of over 400 ceramic pillows.  It was very interesting to see! This king was buried with his concubines, servants, and lots of Jade! They felt that this would preserve their bodies, and they would be immortal.  The tomb holds a chariot, gold and silver vessels, musical instruments, and human sacrifices were found (15 servants were buried alive with him to serve him in death).

 

Caroline was impressed with this tour! Don't you just love her hat?

 

 

The burial site.

 

 

These are some of the jewels of one of the concubines. The king had four concubines...these were the jewels from the one on his right.

 

 

The official seal of the king.

 

We decided to head back to Shamian Island to visit with Jenny again.  I wanted to buy matching traditional Chinese dresses for Caroline and her big sister, Savy.  We also bought one for their cousin, Syda.  I can not wait to see them wearing them! We also bought something for Caroline's cousins, Huntley and Brody.

 

 

 

She loved looking around Jenny's shop. 

This ERGO has become my new fashion accessory.  It is a must have!

 

 

We took one last visit to the statue. It was sprinkling today, so we didn't see as many people.

 

 

Caroline with her mommy and ba-ba!

 

 

We saw another bride during her photo shoot.  Most of them have a make-up artist, and a hair stylist following them around.  Unfortunately it was raining on and off today.

 

 

We had dinner at a Japanese restaurant at our hotel.  We've learned how to entertain Caroline while we eat.  We place something tiny on the table, she points to it, and then she throws it on the floor. 

 

 

I ordered the broiled salmon.  I ate that and the rice (and some of the salad).  I wasn't sure what the rest of it was.  The language barrier can be a bit of an issue.  I'm sure I've lost weight during this trip!

 

 

She loves her stacking cups.

We love seeing her play.  She's acting like such a toddler now....definitely venturing out a lot more.  We're going to be very busy!

 

 

 

Jellybeans Children's Boutique clothing all the way in China! She's so pretty in pink!

 

 

All ready for night-night.  She's such a good sleeper (as long as she has a full belly).

 

 

 We can't wait to be home!!