Marlee hanging out at the pool.

Marlee still doesn't want to get into the water but she loves watching all the other kids play in it. Here she is by the pool with Mommy. She got ice cream so she was quite happy.

Marlee meets Grandma and Grandpa!

Marlee enjoys her brand new Grandma and Grandpa from Walton, New York! Lots of laughs!

This one is cute too!

Little Marlee

After three weeks of dedicated family time I finally went back to work this past Monday. It was hard to leave Marlee. When I arrived home that evening and opened the door she was sitting in her stroller looking at me and she burst into laughter. She laughed with delight for about a minute straight. That made me feel pretty good. We also recieved some pictures of Marlee when she was a little baby from the Open Arms Program she participated in when at her orphanage. This is just a couple of them. Cute ehy?

Baby Sleeps through Night! Parents Ecstatic!

Yes, last night Marlee slept during the night and through it. And so did we. It was glorious! She woke up laughing for the second straight day. That is pretty funny. Here is a picture of Marlee sleeping through the night at the White Swan Hotel. We hadn't seen this in a while. She is quite the angel.

She Walks!

I can't believe today marks our 2nd complete week with Marlee! She is a lot of fun. In our first Marlee gotcha video Marlee comes walking in with her nanny so we know she could walk. But, it wasn't until today that she felt like showing this skill off. And here is the proof!

Marlee Goes Home Video

Wow. We are home and settling in. As we look back at this amazing journey and as we prepared this video we are startled by the fantastic friends we made along the way. We love you all and hope things are going great for you and the babies. This video was such a joy to produce. We hope you all enjoy part two of the Marlee Gotcha Video - Marlee Goes Home.

We Made it!

Wow, what a trip! We are home safe and sound. It feels so good. We had quite a few nice surprises from Grandma and Grandpa and a warm welcome from our wonderful family and neighbors here in Evansville when we arrived. Marlee cried and screamed about half the trip from Guangzhou to Tokyo. We thought we might not endure the trip from Tokyo to Detroit. But, she had a wonderful 11 hour ride! By the time the trip from Detroit to Evansville came around it was old hat. Our timing is all off now. We are so tired. Marlee doesn't know what to think yet of her new place. It is a bit overwhelming. The kitties are kinda scary for her at present. We did get some sleep and woke up around noon today. We will post some pictures of our trip and part two of our movie shortly so stay tuned!

Red Couch Potatoes

Now these are the cutest coach potatoes ever!
Happiness for Daddies and Babies!
Happy Mommas and Babies!
The whole FTIA group comes together!
Here is her highness getting ready.

Awakenings!

You may recall the Robin Williams movie a few years ago by the name of "Awakenings"? Good Movie. Well, that is what it has been like with all of these babies. The first few days they are all in shock and they cry and are kind of limp. Then all of the sudden they are bright and happy and their personalities just shine through. Our Marlee is quite a character. She is kind and loving and very funny. We have heard so many giggles and witnessed so many first time experiences with her already in just one week. Here are some more pictures:
Blessed by a buddist monk - now she won't cry on the plane ride home.
Can you tell it was hot at the museum?
She just had to try on Daddy's glasses.



She wants that camera.











Baby Bird...


Mia and Marlee were crib mates. Here Marlee gives Mia a cracker. She takes care of her.

Here we all are with Tim, Mia, and Heather on a boat ride down the Pearl river in Guangzhou. It is all lit up like Las Vegas around here.

Another great day!

We had another fantastic day. It may have been the best day of each of our lives so far! We had so much fun. Here she is trying out the new sun hat Daddy bought her. She wasn't really too sure about the pool. We'll try that again tomorrow. We went on a stroll with her friend Mia and then later on we hung out in the hallway with one of her other crib mates Ashley and her new big sister Alisha. Apparently, Ashley lucked out too.

She likes cheerios (Most kids do), but she doesn't just grab them and put them into her mouth. She grabs one, hands it to Mommy or Daddy, and then opens her mouth prompting us to put it in. She really knows we are hers! Yeah!

Getting Comfortable!

This baby is such a joy! She is really starting to enjoy things now. And when she smiles... it is hard not to smile right along with her. Isn't it?



You wouldn't think watching someone get their teeth brushed would be so interesting... Watch this clip.