Christening of Beatrice Lola

Sunday 1st November 2009

Today we became Godparents to our lovely little niece, Bea. We travelled two and a half hours to Southend and both Mae and Saskia were lovely company on the journey. This was very surprising as Mae usually hates travelling in the car but Saskia kept her entertained and all we could hear were giggles and gurgles from the back seat.

Both girls looked gorgeous in their outfits. Saskia looked very pretty and smart. Mae looked gorgeous in her little pink 'special occasion' dress. Mae behaved so well in church (largely thanks to the box of raising and date bar that I kept in my pocket for emergencies).

Here are a few pics to comemorate a fabulous and very special day.

Mae Jiao's Naming Day

Sunday 20th September 2009

It seems such a long time ago now (have only managed to get around to posting this on 12th October!) but the memory of such a wonderful day is still very strong.
Many special people in our lives and the life of our gorgeous daughter joined us to celebrate her arrival and welcome her into our families. It was an incredibly emotional but beautiful day and one which we will never forget. Our special thanks to Judy (Will's sister who accompanied us on our journey to China), Natasha & Tim (Mae Jiao's official guardians), Mum (whose daily support has been invaluable) Saskia (our lovely foster daughter who sang such a moving song for Mae) and lastly, Nan (our daughter's namesake and an inspiration to all of us).
Here are a few pics to give you a flavour of the day.

Ralph comes to visit..

Our lovely Ralph and his foster family came to visit us today. We had a lovely afternoon and it was very special introducing Mae to her foster brother. Here is a picture of Ralph and Saskia (our very pretty foster daughter) with Mae.

Needless to say, Mae loves them both!

Mae's first BBQ!!

Saturday 5th September 2009

Our lovely friends Malcolm & Claire invited us all along to their BBQ. What a wonderful afternoon, lounging around in their gorgeous garden and thoroughly enjoying their fabulous food and great company. Mae loved having lots of rides in the wheel barrow (courtesy of Riley & Harry) and even ended up taking her afternoon nap in there!! Thanks guys!! xx

23rd August - Hottest Day this year!

Wow!! Searing heat and poor little Mae can't cool down. We decide to try her in the paddling pool and, like everything else, she takes to it like a duck to water! We did have loads of giggles, chuckes and belly laughs but couldn't manage to catch any of that on camer - hence a few rather serious faces. Believe me though, she absolutely loved it!!

August 17th - So many people to meet...

Well, we've been home just over two weeks now. Little Mae Jiao is the perfect baby, taking naps morning and afternoon as well as sleeping right through the night. She eats everything and smiles all day long............ we're obviously completely in love with her!

Here are a few pictures of family gatherings - she's the star of the show!!

Sunday 2nd August

Home at last!!!

We arrived home safely but utterly exhausted on Thursday lunchtime having been travelling for about 18 hours. Mae had slept 2 of those!!

She was a darling on the flight, only crying when we took off and at landing... the cabin pressure obviously affecting her little ears. Otherwise, she played happily the whole time. I must admit though, I did feel very sorry for the poor cleaners who would have to deal with the debris she managed to create and we left behind.

Once home, Mum was here to greet us, followed swiftly by Chris, Tash, Tim and the girls (Saffron & Bea). They couldn't wait to meet their new cousin and it seemed the feeling was mutual, as Mae beamed from ear to ear when she saw them.

The house was full of balloons and gifts which was so lovely - again, we just can't believe the kindness of all our fabulous friends and family. I guess they've also been waiting 5 years for this little one to join our family too.

Mae's settling in to her new nursery - although we're struggling a little with the adjustment to UK time but we're getting there.

Will post more pics as soon as we have a chance to download more of the China trip. In the meantime, here are a few taken since we arrived home.

xxx