Normal?

We are slowly adjusting to whatever normal will be for us. We had to say goodbye to Grandma Donna today. She has been a big help over the last few days as we all get settled in. We also had another visitor today. Our friends Tim and Ginnie stopped by to say HI to Evelyn. As you can see from the pictures she loves the elephant you brought her. We have also been playing in the exersaucer. Evelyn's not sure what to think of it yet, but she likes the songs it plays.

We're getting ready for our first big road trip in a few weeks. Please pray for Evelyn's mom and dad. She does really good in the car, but we have never had her in the car for that long. And, she needs someone in the back with her. If someone is in the back with her, that doesn't leave a lot of room for big sis Mindy. We hope it goes well.

Finally Home!

It was finally time to go home. Evelyn was very excited at the airport while we waited on our Southwest Airlines flight home. The flight home was great. Evelyn never made a sound. She even slept through the landing and it wasn't the smoothest landing we've ever had.

There were tons of people waiting for us at the airport when we got home. We can't tell each of you enough how much we appreciate you making our homecoming so special. When we got home, we saw the whole house decorated for Evelyn. We loved having our families stay with us when we got home - all 6 of them! We found room somewhere! The accomodations weren't the best, but we are so glad they stayed.

We got home just in time to go to two more showers in two days. Once again, we were overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of our friends.

Thank you once again to all of our friends and family for praying for us and being there for us through this whole process. We finally got her home, but it's really just beginning!

OUT AND ABOUT

Today was our most adventurous day yet. After sleeping in and laying around for a while we headed out to Santa Monica to see some sights and hit the beach. But, instead of hitting the beach, Kristina did what she does best - she found a mall. It only took her 2 days to get her baby to a mall. After hanging out at the mall for a while, we went to the beach, then back to the hotel for our last dinner in LA.

We can't wait to see everyone at the airport tomorrow night. We will be arriving on Southwest flight 2647 at 6:20 pm. Don't forget that Southwest is at the EAST Terminal. For those of you that can't make it but still want to meet Evelyn, please give us a call and come on by.

Life is Hard

Apparently getting up for breakfast, a diaper change and a few minutes of playing is just too much. This is how she spent most of Wednesday and Thursday morning - asleep. The good news is that this is how she has spent most of the last two nights. After a quick bottle at 2:30 AM, she goes right back to sleep. I know what you are all thinking and YES, I (Rob) got up to help.

Our sight seeing plans for Wednesday were quashed when none of the rental companies at LAX had an extra car. Not a single car to rent at LAX!?!? This is really a busy place though, there is not a single hotel room left around LAX either.

Evelyn had her first visitor. Becky and Mr. Taylor's son is starting USC in the fall and since they were here in the area, they stopped by to say hello.

Without a car, we were really ready to go somewhere so we rode the shuttle over to the airport for dinner and to see The Grandfather, Jeanna, and Aunt Abby off to Milwaukee for their late night flight. Then it was back to the hotel to get some much needed rest.

As I type, someone is waking up, and this is how happy she always looks when she is awake. Thank you for the comments, we LOVE reading them!

Evelyn's Debut!

Finally Together

After many long months, the family of two has become three! Evelyn is finally in our arms! The morning began with breakfast and a quick shuttle ride to the airport. Upon arriving, we met Miss Betty, a volunteer who has greeted families and babies for 19 years. While she went to meet the escorts at the gate and walk Evelyn through customs, we waited anxiously in the common area of the airport. As Rob and I were talking, I turned around and suddenly spotted Miss Betty carrying Evelyn. I began to cry tears of joy as I exclaimed"There she is!" I can't begin to describe the emotions that came over me as Miss Betty put her in my arms. All I remember is how wonderful it felt and how easy going Evelyn was. She was smiling the entire time and even laughed at her daddy. After a few minutes went by, Miss Betty introduced us to the two escorts who brought Evelyn to the U.S. Then it was time to head back to the hotel and she took a brief nap and bottle. We walked to a local restaurant for lunch and headed for the pool for about 30 minutes. She is currently sleeping in the portable bassinette we brought from home. Hopefully tomorrow will go as smoothly as today. She is such a beautiful blessing!

L.A. Bound!

Good news--we are headed for Los Angeles today! We got the call around 9:00 a.m. that confirmed Evelyn was ready for travel. I can't tell you how excited we are right now. We want to thank everyone for all the kind words of encouragement and prayers--we have felt so loved by all. With that said, we plan to update the blog during the week while in L.A. Also, we will arrive home with Evelyn on Friday at 6:20 pm via Southwest Airlines (East Terminal). We would love to see all of our family and friends there to greet our little angel! Hope to see you soon!