My friend Jaime Kinser created a blog for February, with a different heart baby's story for each day. NiNi's story is the 15th. As I looked through pictures and wrote and re-wrote her story (hard to condense 3 years and >1500 pictures into a synopsis), I was amazed at how REAL it all still feels...the stress, the terror, the hanging-by-my-fingernails that I did for so long...my palms were sweating and my heart was racing as I looked at some of those photos and thought about certain moments in the journey... I am still so grateful and feel so humbled and blessed to be NiNi's mama. She is the best part of my world, the joy of my life, and I am privileged to share every day with her. :-) As we head into our 3rd Gotcha Day anniversary on 3/8, I am saying my prayers of thankfulness for NiNi's precious life, and the gift of motherhood. www.28daysofhearts.blogspot.com http://i49.tinypic.com/256fbt5.png

Happy 2012!

Happy New Year to one and all!!

I have been a terrible blogger this past year...so my personal goal for this year is to blog well for 2012, and catch up the blog on 2011's events. So much happened last year, and I really want to document it for Miss NiNi.

NiNi is now 2 1/2, and continues to be the joy of my life. :-) She is growing and becoming her own little person more and more all the time...not really a baby anymore, sniff sniff!! (Unless she is tired, or sick, or cranky...then she fusses like a much younger kiddo)

2012 will be full of fun and adventure; we are planning a trip for this spring, to reunite all 6 kiddos from our travel group! :-) We missed 2 of the families last spring, but I think all of us are going this year! Savannah is the location this year, which should be GORGEOUS and relaxing! :-)

Best wishes to everyone for the coming year! May it bring happiness and prosperity to you!

CCAI reunion in Denver!

Miss NiNi is becoming quite the traveler! We flew to Denver for our adoption agency's annual reunion, and had a blast!! :-)

We stayed with one of the families from our travel group, they were so welcoming and kind. Their little girl, Hutton, is 3 1/2 months older than NiNi, and they played nicely together. Parker, CO, is gorgeous!! :-) What a lovely spot. Melissa and I really got to know each other, and discovered that we have a lot in common. She and Todd have a lovely family, complete with 2 boys and several cats. :-)

The reunion was incredible. NiNi was thrilled to be surrounded by so many kiddos, and kiddos that look like her! It was nice to let her run around, to be with so many families that look just like ours! :-) Adoption is our life, and I am proud to be an adoptive mama; but sometimes I just want to get a loaf of bread at the store, not share our life story!! There were games, and displays, and food...the potstickers were so yummy!! NiNi ate 3 by herself!! We got to meet the couple who own our agency, Josh and Lily. They are just incredible. Josh does all the pre-travel information phone conference calls himself, and is humble, helpful, and very hands-on. Lily skyped with me in GuangZhou the day I had to take NiNi back to the hospital when she was so ill...she offered comfort and support, and shared my fears and frustrations. She was signing books at the reunion when we approached her. I told her "This is Baby LiuNi", and her eyes got wide. She jumped up with arms out, and burst into tears as she hugged us...so I cried with her! :-) She was just so excited to see how well my girl has done... The walls inside CCAI's building are lined with photos of thousands of beautiful kiddos who have come home; it is so inspirational to see! :-) I still need to add NiNi's picture to that group, but we found Hutton and Reid's pictures.

It was a very quick trip, but I am so glad we went.

1st Vacation- New Orleans and FL

We spent a lovely 6 days in New Orleans and Destin, Florida! NiNi and I went with my parents, and it was a great 1st flying vacation with my girl. :-)

My folks had never been to New Orleans, so we had a great time exploring, just wandering around and looking at the city. We had dinner with my childhood friend Ruth, as well as her wife Ali, and her sister Joy. They all live in N.O, and it was great to catch up with them...the time went WAY too fast, as it always does! Mom and Dad got to try muffalettas, beignets, pralines, and lots of seafood :-) We listened to all kinds of music, and the people watching was so much fun, not to mention the crazy shops!! One wonderful bonus of this time was that NiNi really had a chance to bond with my dad. He hasn't had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with her, unlike Mom, and my girl really bonded with Dad during this week!! :-)

After 2 full days in N.O, we drove to FL...it was a LONG day...lots of 2 lane roads, slow traffic, U-G-H...but the white sand in FL is gorgeous! 4 of the 6 families from our China travel group came, and it was great to get our kiddos together again! I enjoyed visiting with the 3 other moms, getting to know them for real; I never saw them but a couple of hours from Day #2 in ZhengZhou, since NiNi and I were either in the hospitals or on trains. Dad really enjoyed meeting everyone, and Mom re-connected with them. We all had dinner together, went to the beach 1 afternoon. I got burned, so did NiNi, even with sunscreen. She was NOT excited about putting her toes in the sand OR ocean water...textures are still an issue sometimes...but she did stop fussing and even played with a bucket for a few minutes.

Our 1st full day in N.O. was 4/6, exactly 1 year post-arterial switch! What a difference 1 year makes!! :-) I am grateful, as always, of my child's incredible survival and recovery.

NiNi was a trooper on the long flights to and from N.O. also. She hung out with all 3 of us, but mostly sitting on Grandma's lap. :-) I took her poodle leash with me so she could walk in crowded places- like the airports, N.O. streets. She loved the stuffed animal on the leash, so SFO was a breeze. She never needed it in N.O, since she was either in the stroller or holding onto 1 of us (esp. Dad) the entire time. Ha! I know many people think that the leashes are cruel or ridiculous, but if you have PTSD and anxiety, with nightmares about your child being snatched from places you know you are going, your opinion might change.

Mine for a year!!!

One year ago today, the Chinese government handed me a gorgeous paper in a red, hard cover "book". It stated officially that Liu Ni was now Olivia Grace LiuNi Behling, and my daughter. They had a little ceremony for all 6 of our families, handing us our paper one at a time, and getting pictures. It felt wonderful to know NiNi was officially MINE! My attention was split, though, because I was trying to figure out how to get my girl home faster...and get oxygen for her in-country...and keep her nourished with the least stress to her little blue body...

In the afternoon, our wonderful guide, Yisha, came with her helpers to bring me portable oxygen for NiNi. I watched with 1/2 amusement, 1/2 horror that it was a nylon pillow with a rubber tube and a roller clamp to regulate the flow of oxygen. When I asked how to measure the amount, I was told "it doesn't matter. If baby needs more, either squeeze the pillow or put something heavy on it." ???!!! WOW...that was a difficult moment for this CSICU technology-using RN! The good thing was, the oxygen helped NiNi look not quite so blue, and she breathed a little easier...and so did I...

One year since Gotcha Day!

My precious NiNi-

One year ago today, 2 timid women handed me a precious bundle in the meeting room for Henan Province's Adoption Affairs. It was a cold, snowy, windy morning, and you were bundled in layers of warm, clean clothes. Your ayis had bathed you, and dressed you in the best they had to offer, and there were tears in their eyes when they had to say good-bye to you. I was so thrilled to finally hold you in my arms, after staring at little pictures for 4 1/2 months. I was also terrified, because you were SO sick, so fragile, so tiny...and I didn't know HOW I was going to keep you alive and get you to the U.S.

You were sleeping when you were handed to me. I rocked you slowly, talking quietly to you. When you awoke, you stared at me for a moment, then sighed and snuggled against me. THAT was an incredible moment, because it felt like you trusted me. I gave you the first bottle on the bus; it stressed you terribly to suck on the bottle- you became more purple, breathing faster and more labored...but you drank 2 or 3 ounces of formula for me.

You mourned the first night in the hotel room. I had you propped up on pillows, and you woke up every hour or so, looked around you, and made the saddest sounds I have ever heard. You didn't cry, just made whimpering, scared, confused sounds...your breathing was labored, so I eventually slept sitting up with you on my shoulder, which seemed to help you breathe easier and rest. By morning, you stopped making those little sounds, and seemed ready to engage with your new family. :-)

This was the start of our incredible first year together!

The Night Before...

One year ago tonight, I was trying to prepare for the biggest change in my life. I sat on the bed in our Crowne Plaza hotel room, putting items I might need for Gotcha Day into a diaper bag from the Zhengzhou Walmart.

Earlier in the evening, Mom, Paige and I had walked to Walmart for a few supplies...and had our own entourage following us thru the store!! It was a little unnerving, but apparently many of the locals haven't seen many/any blonds/Americans. We had a group of about 10 or 12 who watched us, following behind. Occasionally one person would say "hi", then duck behind a display or turn away...we were even followed to the 2nd floor, where the baby supply section was suddenly flooded with people. Most people smiled or waved, but there were a number who just looked confused. All in all, it was kind of entertaining. :-)