ANDREW DAY!!!

Today has far exceeded ALL of my expectations-God is Good! He is faithful at ALL times! We have Andrew and he is precious! We met the children at 9:50 am on the 21st! What a special day this will always be! I know in my heart that my papa was looking down and smiling as we finally had a reason to rejoice on this day!

We all congregated in the 9th floor lobby to wait for the children to arrive. Jane(our agency coordinator) met us with our guide. It was great to visit with her. At 9:40, our guide, Helen, got a call that the babies were arriving. She asked Ashton if she wanted to go downstairs with her. Imagine Ashton's joy as she, Madison and Taylor accompanied Jane and Helen to meet the children. We all stood in the hallways and surprised several hotel guests with cameras and videos as we thought it was the kids arriving. It was so special. The elevator opened and around the corner came all 4 of the kids. Andrew and MollyClaire had on matching pants and red jackets. It was a moment where time stood still. He walked straight into my arms. Unbelievable---I had prepared myself to sit back and allow him time to accept us. Instead, my son stepped straight into my arms. Within 3 minutes, he let me kiss him. He puckered up and made the sweetest kissing sound. I can't describe the moment. 3 families being joined together in that instant that could only be orchestrated by God. It was miraculous. Ashton was quite thrilled to get her hands on him and get a kiss. Mema captured a beautiful picture of Jie Jie and Andrew. It was a special moment of Ashton seeing all of her prayers answered.
We came back to the room and got to know Andrew. HE IS HUGE! So much bigger than we thought. He loves snacks. We all laughed out loud when he ate cookies-Classic Oreo style-Just like our family. It was so special to skype Nana, Papa, Johnny, BJ and Jesse-It was neat for them to meet him so soon after we did.

Hayne has declared that Andrew is the best little brother ever-He gets lots of laughs out of our little man. Andrew laughs out loud.

A HUGE hit was the microphone that Bobbi sent to Andrew. He loved it. Within minutes of meeting us, he was mimacking me in the microphone. It was priceless. He won't put it down. He just said Haynie into it---WoW!

We went to lunch with our group and he had a ball. We had to request strollers cause honestly he is so heavy and he isn't used to being held. He just lays back and it makes him heavier :) I am not complaining cause I will carry him wherever. The stroller just makes it easier at times. We had a 20 minute walk to lunch-Not fun in the cold carrying 2 toddlers. He ate very well and we were excited.

My big excitement today was when he was playing on the bed. He started talking and whimpering. He climbed in my arms and kept talking. It was his way of telling me he had to potty. I was so glad that he came to me for help.

Anna Grace is doing well. She has handled this so much better than I expected but it has only been a few hours. We have all been awake since 2 am so we are very tired.

Thank you for your prayers-Know that without a doubt, they have been heard and answered. I know that the road ahead is long but I am confidant that the maker of all creation is holding my hand and directing our way.

Signing off from China,
One blessed mommy of 5