Thank You For Visiting

With the arrival of Mya Luyan Grace, we would love to share some of the excitement with our close friends
and relatives. Thanks for visiting.


Thursday, December 23, 2010

One Year Ago Today...


       Mya is 1 today and we are so thankful that we got to celebrate this day with her. She is an amazing little girl. She has brought such joy and life to our household. She has such a great personality! She is currently crawling, pulling herself up on furniture, she says "Ma-ma" and "Da-da", she is feeding herself, uses a sippy cup, and standing for a short time with no help. She has come so far in 3 months. We look forward to many more birthday celebrations. 



Wednesday, October 27, 2010

It's Official!

Monday, we had our re-adoption hearing here in Racine. It was a short hearing in which the judge declared  us suitable to adopt Mya. This was a necessary step in our process because I (Dana) did not travel to China for the adoption to be completed there. It was a neat day because all of our kids got to be a part of it. We got to celebrate as a family with dinner out at Olive Garden. It was Mya's first time going out to dinner with us and it was interesting. Mya LOVES food and the whole time she kept squealing at me to feed her more. A couple at a table near us thought the sound was coming from a toy and were shocked to find out it was actually coming from her. They had to come by and tell us what a great family we have and how well behaved the kids were. They must not have noticed the time Steven had Jaden in a headlock wrestling for a crayon. Oh well!!! I think people are amazed at the fact that we have 5 kids and after 4 we decided to adopt from half way around the world. We are incredibly blessed and God is good!

Monday, September 27, 2010

The First Week

We have had a great week of getting to know Mya. She is a great baby, always ready to give a smile to whoever looks at her. She has also gotten  to the point of keeping food down and her upper respiratory infection is gone. She is looking better every day. This picture is after we got home from Mya's first church service. She was so happy to meet so many smiling faces. She slept through worship which says a lot about her sleeping habits.

I find that I keep pinching myself to see if this is just a dream. I am amazed that God chose me to be her mother and I am so thankful. There are times during the day as I hold her that I just stare at her and could not imagine my life without her in it. I am in awe of my Lord for orchestrating my life in such a way that he saw fit to pull this precious girl out of a life no child deserves and place her in my arms to love. My heart aches for those children with no family to give them the love they need and deserve. CJ, Steven, Morgan, and Jaden love her so much and she loves them also. I will try to post more pics with them and her. They all have been so great and helpful. I am one blessed mom! My children are my life's greatest treasures.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Finally Home!

Wow, I woke up this morning to a crying baby! It was music to my ears. I know, I know, it isn't the sound that us mothers enjoy hearing when we are in the midst of raising our babies, but it has been 7 years for me since my last baby was this age. And after a 5 year wait, it was like, "Yes, she is finally home."

Let me just say that at the airport last night, people kept looking at us and we did not even have Mya yet. Jaden was bursting with so much excitement that people must have been thinking he had ADHD. He could not control himself at all. When he got a glimpse of his dad coming up the escalator, he started jumping up and down like a child in a toy store. It was a sight. This morning, he said to his dad, "I cannot believe you are really home."

She is doing really well and is a very happy baby. She just loves to watch her brothers and sister move around her and talk to her. She is most amused by the two furry things that are walking around. She just stares at the dogs, trying to figure them out. We had her in to the doctor today because she is having a hard time keeping formula down and seems to be struggling with a cold. So he is putting her on a probiotic and says that she has an upper respiratory infection. We will go back in two weeks just to make sure her system has adjusted properly. I ask for prayer for her head. She appears to have spent much time on her back and he may want to put her in a helmet to help her head take better shape. We have already seen an improvement in the shape of her head since Steve first got her, so we are not worried.

We are so much in love and let me just say that it is great to have a baby in the house again. Also, to encourage anyone who may feel called to adopt, God is able!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

We Are Blessed!


In less than 24 hours, I will be holding this baby girl for the very first time and I cannot begin to tell you the excitement that is going through me at this time. My lifelong dream has come true! When God puts a desire in your heart, He is faithful to bring it into fruition. Love you all!

Coming Home

Today is the day that I am sure the three guys have been looking forward to, maybe? Although they have had a great time in China and will have a lot of stories to share with Mya one day, two weeks is a long time to be away from family and friends. Today at 4:45 PM (5:45 AM their time), they get in a van for the 3 1/2 drive to Hong Kong. They are scheduled to fly out of Hong Kong for the long journey home at 10:45 PM our time (11:45 AM there). It will be a long day for them and Mya. Their flight into San Francisco is 12 hours long with a 3 hour lay over which will involve going through immigration for Mya. They are scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 6 PM tomorrow. Mya is not holding down formula very well and car/plane rides make it worse, she also seems to be getting a cold. Also, she has found her voice and when she is unhappy she lets everyone know. Please pray for strength, safety, and patience. As many of you know, it is not an easy task to travel with an infant. Thank you for your love during this joyous time in our lives. We greatly appreciate your prayers. I can truly testify that we have known the grace of God in our lives during this time. To God be the glory!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Happy Golden Birthday, Stevie!



 On Sunday we took a trip to the Guangzhou Folk Art Museum. Today is Stevie's golden birthday so on our bus ride to the museum I announced his birthday to the group and we all sang Happy Birthday to him. He was embarrassed as planned. The hotel sent a cheesecake to the room for us to celebrate. Stevie has been such a huge blessing to us to have along on this trip and I am thankful for his giftings of love, service, generosity, and the ablility to make everyone around him laugh and smile. What a great kid!


Back home here, the Towle family and ours sang to him through Skype (I am loving this Skype thing). He just took it in. We are sure this will be a birthday that he will never forget.