Reunion

Ok, so I'm a little slow with this whole blog thing, but better late than never. When we traveled to China, we got to know 7 other families very well, who adopted little girls right along with us. We were determined to keep in touch, and in August this year, 6 of our families were able to meet up for a little reunion in Chicago. I was in awe, once again, of God's mighty plan for each of these Asian beauties. Here are a few photos from our time in Chicago. In the "Red Couch" photo, Jillian is the non-cooperative one on the far left.
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To China and Back

1st photo of Jillian, taken in orphanage
God chose a very special way to make our family five complete. It was very much a family decision to adopt a little girl from China, and we completed our initial mound of paperwork in February 2005. Jillian may have been born in China, but she was born into our hearts many years ago. We traveled to the GuangDong Province of China for 18 days in November 2006, and "Gotcha Day" finally became a reality on November 6th, 2006. The loooooong trip home was almost more than we could take. The flight from Hong Kong to Chicago was 14 hours,
even though the clock showed it being 10 minutes! The orphanage nannies described her as "timid and shy," but that was definitely not the case once she got comfortable with her new forever family. She is very much the opposite. Her free- spirited personality fits well into our family. And we can sit for hours being entertained by her expressions and animations. She may very well fit into the "drama queen" category.

An older Jillian in the orphanage.

We spent the first 6 days in Beijing, touring the sites: The Great Wall, TianAnMen Square, The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Old Historic Beijing (riding on rickshaws), and getting to know the other 7 families traveling with us for the same purpose.

Jillian has a congenital heart defect known as Aortic Stenosis, and she shares a very special and unique bond with her brother and sister. All three of them have heart conditions. Jacob and Jenica welcomed Jillian into their lives with open arms, and Jillian was equally excited to have a brother and sister.

This is the "Red Couch" photo taken of all the babies in our travel group (and siblings), taken before we left China.