Hello from Shari

Well, I decided to try and blog today. I can't promise to be as witty as my husband, but for those with weaker stomachs, I can promise no pictures of 2,000 year old mummys. I must share one disagreement with my husband. I love the hotel in Guangzhou! I love the space. That being said, the arrangement of the room or lack of bottle making space has not been an issue for me because I have not had to make one bottle or wash one bottle or measure out medicine or wash one dispenser. My husband is wonderful. Can I brag on him for a moment? He has taken such good care of us. It has been a blessing to watch him take any opportunity to show Cassidy love. Everytime she'll let him feed her the cheerios, or hold the bottle up for her, or giggle at his tickles, he's right there. And then, when she cries when he walks toward her, or sobs when he holds her while I'm in the shower, he smiles at her and says, "it's o.k., babe", and waits for the next good moment. One of my favorite things is when we go for walks. Cassidy loves to walk. Now she knows walking includes Daddy, so she'll pull me to him, grab his finger and pull on him. She loves to walk the long hallway because she can pick up some good speed there. Yesterday, we went for a walk and Brad had to run back in the room for something. Instead of heading on down the hallway, she pulled me back to the door and waited there for him, grabbed his finger and we were off. It's just a matter of time before she sits on Daddy's lap and he's trying to type one handed. Can I also brag on my daughter for a moment? She truly is beautiful. Her smile is awesome, her giggle even better. She's so smart. Very curious. Very determined. Anxious to learn. Great at cuddling. Can't wait to see all the awesome plans to prosper her and not to harm; the ones to give her a hope and future. It's so fun to see her learn something new, like, Patty-Cake. It's also fun to see her have a moment of feeling safe while she plays five inches or, even once, five feet from me. It's hard to hear her cry in the night as if she's terrified. Then it's awesome to hear her sigh and breathe deep as she falls back to sleep on my shoulder. Yes, the trips out are hard sometimes. When someone does smile and tries to talk to you or acknowledges her with a smile, you feel like you just made a friend and should exchange e-mail addresses. My biggest goal with the stares tends to be trying to make eye contact and saying hello. This tends to force a smile and seems to lighten the mood a bit. My other tactic is to look through everyone and pay attention to the scenery or focus on that beautiful girl. If all else fails, we head back to the hotel and enjoy her there. I'm very excited by the fact that Cassidy will be able to let her "little light shine" and humbled that He would let me be her mom and watch her grow.