HOME SWEET HOME

We've been home since Thursday night and Ciara has completely taken over this house, lol. In just three days she has made it seem like she has always been here. She calls Roger Papa, something she came up with, nothing we prompted, and still calls every other man she meets Baba (which for those who don't know means Daddy in Chinese), so she has clearly decided to make a distinction between Papa and all the others. She has called me Mama since about the third day after meeting and has decided to call Leyna Mama occasionally also, which is completely understandable. I mean, really after all, I can see how she gets us confused, lol, we clearly look alike and, well, I do look just as young as Leyna does, lol, so I have just decided to let this little slight go. Logan and Ciara are just like sisters and in fact skipped all the sisterly love mush and just got right down to the wrestling and tattling and bickering.

And this child gets the whole ultimatum thing. You know, the one that says if you do this, this will happen. And up to this point, she's truly convinced I'll do whatever it is I said I would do, and I give all the credit for that to her Foster Mama, that lady must have really stuck to her guns, and I believe when she said something was going to happen, it happened, lol, because Ciara immediately stops what she's doing when faced with and told what the consequences will be. Thank you, Foster Mama!!

She's still messing with me about pretending she has to go to the bathroom to get out of doing things, like eating, going to bed, and just wanting to play with the water at the sink, lol, so I decided to let Roger in on some of that action. I'm half afraid to actually wait her out because the little stinker has a lot of control and can go to the bathroom at will, and I just know the one time I don't take her and she gets really mad, she'll make herself go. Oh, you gotta love that stubborn, relentless side in all of us, lol.

On the best side, though (and the one we see the most), she is a happy, loving, cuddly, super cute, giggly little girl that we have all just fallen completely in love with. I look at her and I think to myself that only two weeks ago her whole world was completely turned upsidedown, something that if done to an adult would be totally mentally debilitating, and here she is running into our arms and giving us kisses, saying hello to every new face she meets with that sweet little turned up upper lip she has, and just making herself at home in an environment completely foreign to her with people she has no obligation whatsoever to love. I've said it before, but our family will be forever grateful to THE ONE who made all of this possible and to THE ONE who has answered every single prayer we lifted up to Him.

Below are just some random pictures of our last couple days in China, a few that didn't come through on the posts I sent to my daughter, and then a few from our first few days at home.

At the Chen Family Museum in Guangzhou, two days before we left China.Walking back from the museum through the streets of Guangzhou.Just Ciara being cute.More cuteness!I just thought the chicken man was cool.This is my stereotypical thought whenever I think of ChinaAnyone for lizard on a stick? Yummy!Mom, seriously, I gotta take this call.Logan being a goof while her mother Leyna is otherwise occupied.I come all the way from China for my big sister Leyna to do this to my hair!Ciara basically poundin' the tar outta Logan and tickling her.