Guess What???~ We are no longer in China!

Okay...Okay...Okay.....I think I am "officially" off many of my friends' "Friend List".....We have been home from China for 5 months and 12 days and I am just now updating our blog of our "Journey of a lifetime" :) What is up with that? ~ Can I blame it on "post~adoption~partum"??? ha!

We have been having such a BLAST!!!! Our family is just giddy with our newest addition....I will update you with the details of ....well, we are almost speechless when it comes to describing how EASY this adjustment/bonding process has been! It has just been hand delivered by our sweet Savior!

Graycn is full of energy, getting more and more animated each day, has followed all growth and development milestones in order and with flying colors might I add! Over these 5+ months, she has learned to sit up, pick up toys, use her pincher grasp, smile, laugh and giggle, roll over and ALL around, crawl, blink on command, kiss and hug, pull to stand up, tell us her needs, blow kisses, say "mama" when hungry, drink from a sippy cup and a straw, eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING, walk and fall and chase and fall, tries to repeat words you say, rocks her baby "Xia~Xia" (shaw-shaw)....and melts EVERYONE's heart that she meets!

I'll get some photos posted....that is the most important detail, isn't it? ha!

Love to you all and thanks again for all your love to us!
~w&h

The Final Countdown!!!!

Only one more day of leisurely strolling down the streets of Guangzhou, window shopping at the market, getting suckered into a purchase here and there and seeing almond shaped eyes everywhere we go.

Today was a wonderful day. It was the first day Graycn and mommy got to sleep in! Daddy went to the city zoo and took lots of pictures and video for us. Mommy and Graycn woke up late (9:30), had breakfast w/ "Aunt Amy" (Gracey's mom) and came back to the room to play and get ready for the day.

We had a sweet time at the US Consulate ~ It was so fun to go up the escalators and see the American flag greet us! There were approximately 35 families taking the oath today ~ we all sat in chairs, waiting for our paperwork to be gathered, and then all of a sudden our names were called to get in line. We handed our paperwork to a gentleman behind a glass window and sat back down and waited. Nothing seemed too spectacular (no photos or video could be taken). Before we knew it, a lady came out and greeted us and congratulated us on our adoption being official and informed us that after the oath, Graycn would now be a "resident" of the United States of America! We received a brown envelope that has been sealed 3 different times (to ensure it's authenticity). We were informed to NOT open it ~ it contains papers we give to the immigration officer in Chicago that once filed and stamped ensure Graycn as a "citizen" of the United States of America!!!!!!! We all stood and held up our right hand ~ it was then that the ENGLISH speaking US Consulate employee shared with us that we are joining over 70,000 US families who have adopted children from China! The oath was a formality of promising that all the paperwork provided (over the last 3+years and current time) was accurate ~ WOW!!!! 70,000 families ~ that is a home for at least 70, 000 orphaned children..... Oh, I am just blown away that God has chosen us to care for this little sparkle ~ What a BLAST!!!!

We came home, did some shopping and met many of our Chenzhou families for dinner (we chose Italian tonight!) ~ Last nights' German was AWESOME!!!!!! oh~ I thought about it many times today!!! ha!!! ;) yummmmmmmmmmy!!!!!!

Graycn is tucked in....all fresh and clean! You should see her in the tub ~ she is hilarious!!!! She splashes....kicks....swings her arms....squeals.....and wiggles like a wild woman!!!! The whole time she is doing this, she is GIGGLING!!!! She is so fun!!!! Quite the perfect addition for our family!!!!

Off to bed we go......not sure if I will be able to blog any more until after we are home....if not, love to you all!

w&h

Red Couch~ Guangzhou's People~ Dr's Appointment

Woooooooooooooooooo~Hoooooooooooooooooo!!!! The "Red Couch" photos are "official"!!!!! What a cool feeling to have gotten our sweet baby Graycn dressed in her EXTRA SPECIAL Chinese outfit for her most memorable "post~adoption photograph"!

The beautiful pink outfit she wore was soooooo precious to her mama! Some of you know, but there are MANY that do not know how that outfit came about........back in Spring 2007, one of my dear friends at Children's Mercy South ("Sha-nay-nay") told me about this sweet outfit she had bought for her sister's daughter and that she would ask her sister to save it for me for our little china bundle! Well................approximately 2 years later, it was "delivery" time at the Godshall houshold :) She was able to get her hands back on that outfit, but it had been a little worn (better known as "chewed up by the washing machine") ~ ha!!!! :) :) :) Anyway, another dear friend of mine at CMH~South ("Ramsey") saw this as a "challenge" and took the 'sad' little outfit home to provide some TLC ~ lo and behold........she performed a miracle!!!!! Graycn's outfit was the talk of the "Red Couch Fashion Pre~Show"!!!!! (Thank you girls for making this day even more special than it already would have been! ~ I love you all soooo much and can't wait for you to meet your Graycn! She has so many "Aunts" waiting for her arrival!)

We also had so much fun just walking the town of Guangzhou ~ it is such a quaint province. The people are so nice and seem very excited about their "girls" going to America. You will hear the older ladies telling you "good, good" as they give you a thumbs up. You can also hear them saying "happy baby, happy mama and baba" as they clap their hands.

We had been commenting on how there are NO obese people in China....I don't think there has been one! Today, I think we figured out why......for those of you receiving the snapfish albums, look for the photos of the park and you will see what age group is taking over the playground "equipment" and who is encompassing the majority of "free space". We were just blown away! I think each of us are making plans to retire in Guangzhou! It is as if time stands still! You feel so safe to walk around at any time of day/night ~ even by yourself (Don't worry, my UCC friends....I was ready to practice my "self-defense" moves!!!!!) ha!

We also had Graycn's physical exam today. She did so good! She was 6.1kg (definitely smaller than they measured with ALL her clothes on before she became a "Godshall"). They did actually use an otoscope to check the babies ears~ however, we did find it "funny" that all the people in the clinic (today was National Ear Day - EVERYBODY in Guangzhou was getting their ears checked today) "shared" the same disposable otoscope tip! (yummy!!!!) Dr. Rauf~ be assured that I am finding HUMOR in this.....not JUDGING the socialism of Graycn's 3rd world country!!!!! ha!!!! Also, on that note: I am so proud to tell you that Graycn passed her "hearing test"!!!!!! They held a brightly colored "squeak" toy by her right side of her face (she could see it) and then they "squeaked" the toy! Guess what????? eventually, Graycn looked at the toy as if to say "Are you going to hold it closer? I can't reach it!" She had the same response with her left ear :) ~ good thing I wasn't worried about "if" her ears were working :) ha!!!

Okay....off to get some pictures downloaded for ya...and then off to bed!

love to each of you!!!!!
w&h

We are at the WHITE SWAN!!!!!

Graycn did wonderful on her first flight!!!! It was only about 70 min from Changsha to Guangzhou. She drank her bottle, played and played and played! She LOVES Cheerios.....she got to sit right by her best friend ~ Graycey (although she pretty much missed her whole flight!!!! Wade teased her daddy that "a sweet parent would have woken up their new little girl to make sure she wouldn't miss her first plane ride!")

The White Swan is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!! It is known for catering to adoptive parents since all adoptions end up in Guangzhou (that is where the US Consulate is located). We are SO excited to get our family's photo and our "girls" photos on that FAMOUS RED COUCH!!!!!! (Wade is sleeping right now so he can get himself "psyched" up to keep his eyes "open" during the photo shoot!!!!! ~ we are VERY grateful for our "digital" deleting we can do!) ha!!!!

Anyway, we are off to bed, but we wanted to share w/ you that we made it!!! We are on the LAST leg of our journey to bring Graycn home!!!!! YAHOOO!!!!!

Love to you!!!! (Jenny, Kari, Rachel and Lori.....You all are the BEST!!!!!!!!! You all have been such a PERFECT fit for our babies!!!!! Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts for loving our kids so deeply....and for loving our sweet Graycn just as much!!!!) ~ imagine my LONG arms wrapped around ya!!!!!

xxoo
w&h

From embroidery to the "Spa"

A tender "hello" to all of you! We are sooooooooo loving this infant stage! As you know, we were quite surprised and slightly caught off guard when we found out our Graycn was so young~ but oh, what a true joy it has all been!

She is just bubbling more and more each minute we have her! Wade and I were talking about how we feel as if we haven't lost any time with her. It has been so smooth ~ just perfect!

I am so sorry I haven't gotten a chance to update the blog....let's see: We did not go to the park today, but we did get to go to a beautiful embroidery store. It was a historical factory that we could watch people making all levels of embroidery pieces, learned the history of how the silk was made, dyed and then turned into exquisite pieces of art. We could not believe the details! Each province is known for something special. Some are known for pottery or porcelain, but Graycn's province is known for embroidery. I did not think I was much for embroidery, but WOW - Wade and I were really blown away! We found a really sweet piece for Graycn's room that we will give to her to take to her home when she grows up. It is a piece that you can see through. It has a beautiful flower that represents her life just blooming and growing as a result of God's grace....it also has a sweet butterfly that we thought would be a visual reminder of how much she has changed just in these 3 days and what is to come in the days ahead! :) We also found a gorgeous large piece to put above our family's mantle. It is a landscape scene of a farmer's field here in Hunan. It has a young farm girl leading one of her family's oxen passed an arched stone bridge ~ it is so beautiful! We loved it!!! It will be neat for her to see that even when she was born, her homeland was so simple without many modern amenities.

We had a nice day just hanging with other mom's and dad's ~ our girls are all doing so well! We have been blessed with some really wonderful families! What a joy it has been to meet each of them.

One of the mom's and I (Grace Lynn's {Gracey} mom) went to the "spa" today to get a 80 min foot massage {cost was under $13.00- and they don't accept tips} ~ WOW!!!! We were informed NOT to go to the "spa" on the 8th floor because it is "too expensive" (code word for "adult massaging") ~ Wade and I are just laughing at the thought of accidentally going to the "wrong" spa!)..... Anyway, we were asked if we wanted a man or a woman. We looked at each other and thought "a foot massage?".... we didn't care, just as long as we could keep on our time schedule so we could be back in time for dinner w/ the hubbies. So, we got escorted to a really comfortable room sat down on the beds, they served us "hot" water (really excited about being home and getting my first glass of something with ice cubes in it!) and then all of a sudden, 2 guys come in with buckets of hot water. They smile, but don't speak any English. They put our feet in this REALLY HOT water....then abruptly pull out our feet and dry them off briskly.....then ......OUCH!!!!!!!!! their tiny little hands just about rubbed every blood cell out of the tip of our toes......the entire toe....the ball of our feet.....oh no.....here comes my arch......augh...they found the instep......yep...the heel too!!!! Then they wrapped our feet up in hot towels and before we knew it, our bodies were bouncing up and down as they aggressively massaged our shoulder socket, our upper arms, forearms and then my hand....what in the world are they doing to my hand, I thought? I heard this "pop" and thought to myself....."did he just pop my finger off of my hand? I didn't think that was possible?" And then, just a quickly as they came in...they took the towel off our feet and left the room.

I looked at my friend and she said "was it just me or did that really hurt?" I said, "yes, I thought I was not going to be able to walk around and sight see any more of china!" She said, "It was hurting so bad that I had to practice my breathing techniques and go to my 'happy place'!" We sat there in a daze and just laughed. I said "Is it over?" She said, "I don't know?" ALL OF A SUDDEN ~ the boys were back w/ buckets of HOTTER water!!!!!! My friend, Amy, said that she kept trying to pull her feet out of the water, but he kept pushing them back in and holding them down and smiling. She said she thought it was some form of "foreigner's torture"! The bad thing is that my guy got to me quicker than her guy did, so by the time she is trying to get her feet out of the bucket, my feet were done and now, instead of getting them wrapped up or massaged, I find myself bouncing up and down AGAIN, but instead of my upper body being attacked, it was now my lower extremities! Oh my word.....I thought I was going to fall of the bed laughing.....I was trying so hard to look like I wasn't surprised, but when my friend let out a noise from the HOT water, I found myself giggling out loud!!!! (Please remember: What is it that Holly does when she is stressed? That's right........LAUGH!!!!!!) Oh, no.....now, I am bouncing, my feet are probably hurting but they are SCALDED, so I can't feel the pain anymore, and this guy keeps attacking me (not gently massaging....but flopping my legs around like they are fish getting battered)! Needless to say, when it was all done....and the room was quieted from the TORNADOES that had entered our world of "serenity".....we sat up, adjusted our hair, looked at each other and burst into laughter. I said, "I think I feel like I have been violated!" ~ she stood up and couldn't even walk to the door without looking like she was hit by a truck!!! (LOL!) She said "I thought this was supposed to be relaxing! It said it was a 'Lavender' massage!" So, the moral of the story is ...... we had no idea $13.00 could buy SO much in China!!!! and we have signed our husbands up for one tomorrow!!!! (some bonding time for the guys!) :)

okay....off to get some sleep......I'll try to post some photos tomorrow....still having technical difficulties with my computer skills...

Love to you all! We are so enjoying the Skype phone calls!!!! It is awesome!!! How fun to have our little Graycn seen by you ..... The emails are awesome too!!!! I am trying to respond to them, but sometimes I am limited on my computer time. Just know that they are all read, appreciated and longed for!

My sweeties are sleeping....our day starts early with skype conversations from our wonderful families who are watching our kiddos ~ you guys, I know I have told you thank you, but again.....THANK YOU!!!!!! It is so fun!

w&h

~No longer abandoned......adopted in love~

As of today....our little Chen, Yan Xiu is now known in China as Graycn Kuaile Godshall.....she is no longer abandoned...she has a home...a mom, dad.....brothers......a sister......a family ~ a chance to leave a legacy........ a life touched by the "grayce" of God.

I am so emotional as I type this....I wish I could put words to what my heart is feeling....I am absolutely overwhelmed by such a gift ~ something so tenderly hand-made by God for our family.

Wade and I woke up early today.....not yesterday (our "gotcha" day), but today (our first morning with our daughter! Ohhhhhh..........just the reality of that is so intense! Anyway, I rolled over and saw our sweet Graycn snuggled safe and sound between Wade and me....I couldn't help but take a picture of her so content~ so unaware of her "new' surroundings......the flash went off and then her eyes opened and met mine.......

Graycn just laid there quiet....relaxed....not a sound. It was as if she was taking me in just as much as I was taking her in. Her eyes seemed to slowly "sparkle"....

Wade was now awake, and we found ourselves just watching her as we had our other "newborns"...we both said to each other, "we don't even feel like we have missed out on any time with her at all....it is as if we have just missed the hard part of a newborn and got to jump right into the fun part of infancy"!

We could have gone back to sleep, but instead, we just turned on the over bed light and found ourselves just playing. Graycn can't sit alone yet, so we propped her up with some pillows and watched her go to town with toys, chewing and studying photos in her photo album, cooing, wiggling and kicking.....

How did we get so lucky? We just keep asking ourselves....how did we get chosen to go down this road.....adoption is the most amazing thing we have ever experienced!!!! I just can't wait for you all to meet our doll.....she is (as Wade puts it......) a little princess :)

Graycn is currently in her crib...cooing and kicking away....she is wearing a hot pink pair of those adorable "Ramsey" socks!!!! (they were a HUGE hit today! ~ and they fit her perfectly!) she rolls side to side but can't quite get her arm out from underneath her to totally flip over. I would look at her size and development and put her at 5 months, but she is sooooooooooooo alert and playful....so content and, well, did I say she is PERFECT!!!?????!!!!! ~ she is!!!!

Blayne is the only "Godshall" that has gotten to see her, yet. We are hoping to skype with the Paytn and Haydn soon......thanks to Aunt Shea~Shea....they have been able to see their little sister!!!! Yeah!!!! Thank you again, Shea, for taping that for us!!! It will be so cherished! :)

Love to each of you......I'll try to download more photos..... the snapfish album of gotcha day is a little out of order, some how...I am trying to fix it b/f I send you all an invite :)

We are loving your emails....the skype phonecalls......your love and prayers!!!! Graycn is a BLAST and you will want to "eat her up!" :)

*we are off to take a nap........
w&h

*ps......she had her first "poopy" today.....yee-hawwww!!!! (you should hear her right now...she is soooooo talkative!!!!!) ~ oh, she is just like her mama! :)

Introducing......Graycn Kuaile Godshall ~

We have our daughter!!!!!!! Graycn is beyond BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! We just can't even put into words how AWESOME this day has been!!!!!!! We are so tired.......but just soaring! :) I will post a few pictures.....that is what you all are dying to see! (ha!) I will post more details tomorrow, but need to get showered still and in bed. We have an early am and we are not sure what our first night with Graycn will entail...

Graycn is so huggy & so touchy~feely (just like her mama!!!)....she just melted into me when I fed her....when she is comfortable/happy, she wiggles her feet like Haydn....She hasn't cried hardly at all! She did AMAZING during our "gotcha moment"....not a tear...not a sad moment at all! She babbles all the time (like her mama)....and is sooooooooooooooooooo laid back like her baba......

She is sitting up in bed (propped w/ some pillows) and playing with some toys right now. She really loves anything that rattles....she sucks her left thumb (like her mama - mine was my right thumb)....she cuddles with soft/fuzzy things and holds them close to her face. When she wants to go to bed, she holds her hands together as if she was praying and just strokes her thumb with her tongue :)

oh....my.....goodness....we are soooooooooooooooooooooooo in LOVE!!!!!!

Sweet dreams to you all...I will load some pictures now and send most of them through snapfish :)

w&h
*please take time to thank our Lord for bringing us safely together......a "match made in heaven"!