the poundage

we just weighed jing liu, and according to our metric conversion (which may be a bit suspect) she weights 15 lbs. i was quite certain it would be 8-9lbs, so i was pleasantly surprised with 15lbs. i'm determined to pack on the pounds this week. she drank 4 (FOUR) 6oz. bottles today!

we were able to meet up with our dear friend davie who works in the city of nanchang. he was so excited to meet jing liu. it's been 6 years since we last saw him, and oh what a dear he is!! you couldn't meet a sweeter soul. he was trying to tell us about what he does and where he lives. his english has improved SO much, but some things are hard to understand. but this part...this part was crystal clear: he was telling us that sleeps on the floor of his apartment because he didn't have a bed. he said with tears in his eyes, "i don't have a house. i don't have a bed, or money. but i have God! thanks be to God!!" - oh what a reminder for us...spoken so true.

here is a little video of davie and jing liu together:



one funny thing to note...when we talk to her, we don't call her emery. i'm not sure what it is, but she feels more like jing liu than emery right now. maybe once we get home and things start feeling normal, we will start to interchange both names. i'd love to keep both of them for her, so she can use either one. the other family who is here has a sweet girl at home they adopted 4 years ago, and they said she uses her chinese name and english seamlessly...i love it!!

oh and she LOVES the blanket i made for her! i know, i know, minor issue, but i labored over the fabric choices and the size, etc. and i just love love seeing her all snuggled up in it while she sleeps.

oh my. she is so precious. i just can't say it enough. she's incredible and amazing and such a warrior. small, but so brave. we saw a bit more of her feisty side today...her passion. her determination. she inspires me so much already. i can tell she isn't a quitter. she knows so much of life...and yet, she allows me the honor of holding her and cuddling her as she falls asleep. she sits quietly when i feed her a bottle. she gazes up at me with her sweet brown eyes, and oh wow. it's like looking at her the moment she was born. she feels like a newborn in so many ways...and yet, she is my brave little warrior girl. i love her so much, i can't ever describe it.