Baby Dedication

In light of Adoption awareness month, we thought it would be nice to have Emma dedicated in November. Last Sunday, November 22nd, we promised to raise Emma in a Christian home while doing our best to nurture her relationship with God. It was a perfect day filled with joy and happiness as we celebrated having her here long before we expected but also being able to dedicate her in front of our church family. We are so blessed to be her parents. She went to Brother Tim, our pastor, and looked at him as he spoke. It was so cute as she had this look on her face like she was taking in everything he was saying.

Doing Well

Emma slept all night last night!!! That is such an accomplishment. She is such a funny little girl. Her facial expressions crack me up and the way she mimics what you tell her to say is hilarious. I can tell by the way she looks at me that she knows I'm here to stay. That was one of my biggest fears, fearing that she wouldn't attach to me. I love the way she holds her hands out and says Momma. Her love for music is evident in the way she dances to noises and loves her Sing-a-Long songs. She's doing very well in her car seat now and hardly fusses. Chase has mounted his DVD player to the middle seat and she loves to dance to her Cedarmont Kid videos. We think we know what Emma wants for Christmas! (Mommy and Daddy too) Emma is also doing well with others holding her. She looks to make sure Mommy or Daddy are close by but isn't bothered by others holding her. She is eager to come back to me when I hold my arms out. Again, that shows that she has attached. I know family and friends had a difficult time with the wait, but we love Emma and want what's best for her. Here are some pictures of the past few days.

My friend, Gayla, getting her Emma fix...

"Can someone open this gate...Please..."

Sweet girl with her top teeth shining.

Emma is pulling up and beginning to cruise along the furniture.

Gran giving her girl a bottle

6 Weeks Home, Dr.'s Appointment

It's so hard to believe Emma has been home six weeks. We went to the pediatrician on Tuesday and Emma is 21 lbs 10 oz and is 29 1/4 inches long. She is continuing to grow and her thyroid levels are great. We will be introducing more foods and working on her sleep at night. Her personality continues to shine and she is the sweetest thing. I love watching her play and explore. She has been giving Ryan, Chase, and I "lovin" and it is the best feeling ever when she wraps her arms around our face and loves on us. Her strong legs and arms allow her to pull up to whatever she wants to. She is still walking behind her lion and cruises on the couch. It is so cute to watch her sign more when she wants Cheerios.

The no hold period is over, so gradually family and friends have been getting their hands on her. She doesn't seem to mind as long as you don't try to take her away from Mommy ;o)

Having tea with Papa

Gran's girl

Pap was excited to get his hands on her...finally!

Our little "turkey" playing with her many toys...

Uncle Roger getting some sugar from our sweet girl

Do You Have Room?

An Orphan no More...Adopted and

LOVED FOREVER

This month is National Adoption Awareness month and in effort to promote adoption both domestic and international, I encourage you to search your heart and the possibility that God might be calling you and your family to adopt. His call may be faint, but please don't disregard it. Pray about it and God will guide your path. There are 147 million orphans in the world. As Helen Keller said, "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do." Adoption may not be the best choice for your family, but there is something you can do. PRAY and if able, provide financial support to care for orphans. But most importantly, pray. We live in such comfort. Our homes are huge, with extra rooms and large cars with extra seats. What about you, do you have room? Maybe you have hesitations. I urge you to talk to someone who has adopted. There are so many options through adoption. Gender, age, nationality are just a few options that you can consider. A fellow blogger is advocating the adoption of an 8 year old boy from Ethiopia whose father was killed in a construction accident and his mother is unable to care for him. If are interested in adopting an older child, please visit her blog to get more information and to see photos. http://weloveourlucy.blogspot.com. God bless each of you and please remember our orphans!

I ask, Do you have room?

Emma's Gotcha Day Video

It's finally done. I have struggled with creating it because I wanted it to be perfect and those who know me know what a perfectionist I am. I finally had to let the worry go and find the joy of reliving this moment again. Every time I see it, tears come to my eyes. My goal was to finish it for National Adoption Awareness month and I did. The thank you notes however are still being finished, so for those who have given our sweet girl a gift and haven't received a thank you, please know how deeply we appreciate your love and kindness for us and I will be sending a thank you note! Enjoy!

"E" is for Everything We Ever Dreamed of...

We are so in love with her. Our journey is everything we ever dreamed of when God placed the desire to adopt on our hearts. This experience has been so much more than we could have hoped for. How blessed we are to be her parents. The past couple of nights have been wonderful. Monday night Emma slept all night. Ryan and I were amazed and rested! Last night she was up for just a few minutes but quickly went back to sleep. We are so proud of her. She is also getting more independent and has been walking behind her ride along lion. She's saying many words and mimics what we tell her to say.

She loves stuffed animals, especially ones with UK on them! ;o)

Happy 9 Months Emma Yeirin

Emma Yeirin Johnson-November 2, 2009

Our sweet Emma is 9 months old today. We also have the joy of celebrating her being home 5 weeks. It's amazing how much she has changed and learned over the past 5 weeks. Everyday she does something new and exciting. She has bonded and attached to us so well. Her personality is easy going and funny. Her little legs are always on the move and she loves to explore. So, Emma, on your 9 months of life, these are 9 things we love about you:

1. The way you smile at your brother no matter what he says or does

2. When you look at us and say "Momma" and "Dadda"

3. We love the peculiar way you sit in the floor with one leg behind you

4. The way you curl up your toes

5. How you wake up from your nap, press the music player, and dance in your crib

6. The way you blow your nose when Daddy shows you how

7. The way you kick and squeal when it's bath time

8. How you growl at us

9. The way you try to stand up in the middle of the floor