**UPDATED** Jada in The Advocate Thursday, Sept. 28th!

I forgot to post earlier, but better late than never. We had someone tip off The Advocate about our adoption process and they contacted us requesting an interview for an article. We thought it would be a great opportunity to raise awareness about adoption, so we eagerly agreed.

The article will be in the "Ascension" section of Thursday's The Advocate. We felt the interview went very well. It'll be interesting to see how they make the article given the things we talked about. I'm not too confident in today's media. But, this young lady was very interested in our situation and I believe she will do a great job.

So, we'll see how it goes. We're excited!

CLICK HERE FOR THE ARTICLE

The Lamberts

First Day at the Nursery

Jada's going to the nursery today at HPC. We've been visiting for a couple minutes last week so she could recognize the place. She did really good during the visits. Just like everything else, she's adjusting well and sliding into the groove. She really likes the nursery staff over there. She's gonna do just great!








It's so good to know Jada is in GREAT hands at the nursery. Jamie, Christina & Robyn love Jada and are really excited about taking care of Jada. Brandi worked in the nursery for a short time and all the women in the nursery staff have walked the walk with us. So, the really appreciate what's going on in our lives when it comes to Jada. They have been very supportive and encouraging and its our honor to have them take care of Jada for a short time each week.





The nursery is on the Highland Campus, so Brandi will have free access to Jada anytime she wants. Brandi LOVES her job and she knows she's working in her calling for THE BEST CAUSE, so we are really at peace about letting Jada spend a little time each week with some great friends of ours. HPC has been very cooperative about our specific situation and have gone above and beyond to make sure our family needs come first. They know that Brandi's time with Jada is very important and it's really comforting to see them recognize our needs and work with us so that both sides are comfortable with the arrangement. I'll be able to take Jada during my days off during the week.

Doing Great!!

Jada is settling in very well! This is her 3rd night in a row of going to sleep around 8pm, she slept through the night the last 2 nights. She's eating well and is having fun during the day. She really gets along well with other people, females better than males.

We've visited the nursery at church for about an hour the last 2 days and she will do just fine there. The nursery staff is ready to get her!

Jada is very happy when she wakes up. She moans and may cry just a little, but she'll give a big ole smile and is ready to lay on the couch and wake up.

Jada and Lucy have really been getting along. When Jada spits out food, Lucy comes and eats it off the floor. Also, for others who have dogs and babies, make sure you securely close the poopy diapers when changing the babies. There was no breach, but it was close... Just after this photo, Jada walked over to Lucy and grabbed Lucy's snout and Lucy peeed all over the floor. Like I don't have enough to do!

Signed,

Cranky Stay At Home Dad

Brandi chose Pink & Purple camoflage for today. I'm sure the NRA has rules against this, I don't know. I'm not a hunter and really don't care, but pink & purple camo just feels like its breaking some rules somewhere.

This is an interesting picture of Jada. For some reason, I think this is the look you get right before getting "pimp slapped." It really makes me feel uneasy... like I misplaced some of Jada's money or something...

Brandi got all 'Old Testament' on her...

Well, after several nights of no sleep, realizing we couldn't drug her or take her back, Brandi decided to go 'Old Testament' on her. She broke out the annointing oil and slapped Jada with the Holy Ghost! I remember someone saying that in the Bible, everytime a woman cried out to God, He answered their prayer. I was resting on that.

This is what Jada looked like from 8pm last night, until the time of this post, 7:30am. No bottle, just a bit crying around midnight.

I don't know what's better, having her up and laughing, running around or watching her sleep so peacefully. Whatever.

Thanks to everyone who reminded us this would get better, it has, it will. It always does.

Jada's First Trip to Church!

We dressed her up in a pretty white dress with pink shoes and a pink bow to match. She was beautiful. We left the house and it was her first ride in the car seat, she seemed to enjoy it, didn't get upset or didn't seem to feel all tied up.

We're on Highland Road, we're are 3 cars away from pulling into the HPC Parking Lot and BLAAAAHHHHHH. Jada ralphs on her bib and blanket. Close call, none of it gets on her dress. Brandi wraps up the blanket and we think we're in the clear. Then, BLAAAAAHHHHHH!! The second wave sneaks between her chin and bib, all over her dress.

So, we drove through the parking lot, said, "Look Jada, see that building? That's our church!" and pulled out of the parking lot and went home.

Better luck Wednesday night, I guess?

The Lamberts

13 hours difference...

It couldn't be 2, 4, 6 or 8 hours difference between China and Louisiana. It had to be 13. Just swap the AM and PM. That's a pretty tall mountain to climb with a 13.5 month old.

The plan of letting her cry herself to sleep in order to learn to calm herself down isn't working because she's just not sleepy. The struggle is keeping her awake during the day, cranky and tired. She was up at 11pm last night until 4am this morning. We got her up at 10:30am, because we are sick and was tired from the traveling. Oh yeah, we have to adjust to the time difference too. We let her have 2 quick naps today. A 45 minute and 35 minute nap. She's up again at 12:30am this morning.

We're up too, we slept alot today, trying to get over our colds and congested heads. We'll try to get up earlier tomorrow morning and go to church and visit. It may be a challenge for the next couple of days.

We have an appointment with Dr. Ashli West Monday. We're excited Ashli gets to meet Jada and begin our medical care for her. We have a feeling we will be moving on to big girl food soon. We let her have my dad's Jambalaya today and she loved it, it was slammin'.

She met all the neighbors today. One of the little girls made a cute card for Jada. I think she's 8 or 9 yrs old. It was sweet. OK. More later.

Welcome Home!!

We made it!! It was a loooooong trip back home, over 32 hours straight on a bus or car, in an airport or on a plane, but we have landed. The worst was the 14 hour Hong Kong to Chicago flight. Both me and Brandi had colds, my sinus headaches were really good. As far as sinus headaches go, they couldn't get any better. Brandi's cough was consistant and especially irritating. Jada was GREAT! She took 2 naps of 2 hours each and then a whopping 5 hour nap. So, she was out most of the 14 hours.

The only real problem Jada had was landing in New Orleans. Our ears were poppin' pretty good and she was crying pretty good and hold her ears. I don't know if that pressure thing is automatic or controlled, but landing in N.O. was one of the worst pressure changes I've experienced. My jaw is still sore from trying to equalize my ears. So that was the worst part for Jada.

We got home about 12:30am and Jada stayed awake until 2am. Then she woke up again from 3:30am to 4:30am. Then, we got GOOD sleep from 4:30a, to 9:30am. We all just woke up from little 2 hour nap. So, hopefully we'll be able to get on a normal schedule soon.

Sorry no pics of the trip home. We just weren't in the mood. But here's a little something:

Thanks to everyone, friends, family, co-workers and onlookers, who supported us during the trip with prayers and blog comments. We really appreciate you all.

Gered, Brandi & Jada

Final Post from China!!

My subscription for the hotel internet ends today. We leave out at 5:45am tomorrow morning. So, time is very short for the rest of our stay here. We still have to go do interviews at the US consulate today and the grandma's are going finish up shopping while we are gone.

Its really been a beautiful trip. We were all sick at one point, Brandi is just getting over her cough and sore throat. China is really a beautiful country and the people are very hospitable. It really was nice to come see Jada's birth country. I'm sure we'll make it back, one way or another.

Thanks to everyone who has been along with us in spirit. We appreciate the prayers and support, especially all the comments her on the blog.

That's all from China. We'll be touching down at 9:56pm in New Orleans on Thursday night.

Love you guys,

The Lamberts

Long Day

I'm fighting the flu, Brandi's fighting a sore throat and cough. All the ladies went back to the Island to shop. I stayed in bed and slept all day. I got a little sleep and I'm starting to feel a little better. Hoping to be over all this before the 14 hour flight from Hong Kong to Chicago.

Tomorrow we take a group picture in the morning. Then, we are off to a Chinese Tea House where we will learn to Chinese Tea Traditions and sample many flavors of Chinese Tea. Then, we have to go to the U.S. Consulate for an interview and finish up the paperwork.

First thing Thursday morning we head out to get back home! China has truly been wonderful and beautiful, but we are ready to get home.

Medical Exam and Shopping

This morning started off with the normal. Jada waking up, laying with mommy for a spell, taking a bottle, then walking around reaching for things she ain't supposed to. We know now that our house is no where near Jada proof. It took us 4 years to get the house Lucy proof.

Jada smiling for us again this morning.

Does this mean, "I'm still sleepy"?

Got her dressed in her cute little jeans and sleeveless shirt. She's stylin'.

Beautiful...

We went to get her medical exam in order to get her U.S. visa. Imagine some 30 families, plus normal daily traffic in a small clinic lined up to get babies examined. It was pretty crazy, but we made it through. There were 3 stations, this was the medical and surgical. They just measured her head and chest and checked her Mongolian Spots and documented them. These are spots that look exacly like bruises. Most Asian babies have them 7 or 8 years and they go away.

This station they took her temperature, weight and length. She was 97F, 21lbs and we couldn't figure out the height. They were going pretty fast.

Ear, Nose and Throat. They made noise to make sure she responded, looked into her ears. Her throat was still a little red. Her respiratory was normal.

Then, we went to some nearby shops for shopping. We got Jada the standard gifts every Chinese baby gets. Traditional Chinese dresses and pajamas, squeaky shoes, bags and other stuff.

Both me and Brandi have caught Jada's cold. We're loading up on rest and liquids. They don't have anything for us tomorrow. Our guides are going to the U.S. Consulate and representing us in some interviews. Wednesday morning we have to go to the consulate for final interviews.

Then, Thursday morning we start the journey home! We are ready to get home and see everyone. See our house again.

More later,

Gered, Brandi & Jada

Anonymous Comments

Just to let ya'll know. We don't mind anonymous comments, but when you leave anonymous comments and write things that indicate you know us and we know you, but you do not leave your name... we don't know who you are.

P.S. By the way, we have a special gift for the one who posts the most! At this point, there's someone in first place and the rest of ya'll better get busy if you want to catch up!

Gered, Brandi & Jada

Geaux Tigers!!

We're following the LSU game on CBS Sportsline.com.

So, we thought we'd get Jada in the game!!

2 awesome, yet totally unrelated things in Guangzhou

We have discovered to our surprise that Jada is not a morning person. When she wakes up, she likes to lay around for 45 minutes to an hour. So, that gives us some time to "wake up" before she gets to walking and exploring. Then we fix her bottle and she lays down and eats. Neat thing we found out this morning is that she started to hold her own bottle!! Now we have free hands to hold our coffee.

We need coffee. Jada has not slept a full night since the first night. 11pm, 2am and after that 4am, 5am and 6am she was fussy and ya-yain'. Might be the medicine, might be she's taking naps all day trying to finally get rid of the cold. Oh well, its a small price to pay to lose a little sleep. It's all worth it in the morning when she gives us her first smile!

While looking for ESPN Sportscenter here, (they have MANY more US channels here in this city), I stumbled across something incredible! Karate movies with no dubbed English speaking characters! They'r fighting and speaking their native tongue! No audio in English that don't match the lips of the actors. When their lips move, they talk! Take a look at some of the action.

Although ugly and intimidating, this is the hero of the flick. He ended up with 5 arrows in his legs and back, but still fought off the enemy with a expert mixture of nature defying leaps and acrobatics and masterful sword defense and martial arts expertise.

Other than that, we're going touring today. We're going to a museum and then to Wal-mart to pick up supplies for us and the babies. We will also get to be reunited with all the couples that we have been missing since being split up Monday morning. We also get to see the other babies.

See ya'll soon!

Gered, Brandi & Jada

More Saturday Pics

Brandi got a bow on Jada's head. Let's see how long this lasts.











Here's the star of the show. But for now, let's look at some of her friends from the orphanage.






If you call this little girl anything having to do with track or running, we know who you're talking about. You let this little thing go and she has one speed: GO FAST. You should see her go. Fast, long strides. She knows where she wants to go and she's getting there. And she always has this look on her face like, "Not now! I'm busy and I've got to go!" She's precious.



Here's some of the gang. They were all chasing that read ball. All the parents were constantly saying, "share!" Yeah, right.









Another cutie from the group.









So far, Jada likes the bows. She picks every now and then, but it usually stays on her head.

Batteries Charged, Here's the Pics

This is Sherry. AWAA's #1 Travel Guide in China. She was with us from Beijing to Nanning until we landed in Guangzhou, then she flew home to be with her new husband. Sherry came with us to the hospital and was our ears and mouths. She has the heart of a servant and a God fearing Christian woman. It was a pleasure to have her serve us. She really took care of us. Goodbye Sherry, and thanks for everything! We love you!






I'm trying to take a picture of Jada, but she loves daddy so much, all she wants to do is hug me. OK, she was grabbing at the camera...







Now that Jada's healthy, she's warming up to daddy! It's good to have her healthy. She's such a joy!









We keep finding new tickle spots. She has such a beautiful laugh.






This is what we've been waiting for. Jada is healthy, vibrant and happy. This is the personality we've been without for the last 3 days. Welcome back Jada, we love your smile!

We're in Guangzhou!

We've landed in Guangzhou and we're at the China Hotel, A Marriott Hotel. My camera battery is dead, so I can't download any of the pictures. So, when the battery is recharged, we'll be in business.

Jada is 100% better now. She was so good on the flight here. We fed her as we were taking off to make sure her ears were OK, and she slept after that for the rest of the flight. She's running around the room right now, laughing and smiling. Thanks again for all the prayers and support for her recovery.

We have 5 days of paperwork, interview and medical exam and we get to come home. We are ready to go home! Here's some other pictures from the past couple of days to keep ya'll happy:

Next Leg of the Trip

Tomorrow morning we leave Nanning for Guangzhou. The U.S. Consulate is there and we have an appointment there and a medical exam and other stuff. We got Jada's Chinese Passport today and some other paperwork.

This is the boring part for us. Although AWAA is very busy completing paperwork for us, we have very little to do. We're very ready to get home and see all you guys. Life in the hotel is not all its cracked up to be. But, it's part of the deal.

We leave this hotel for the airport at 11am to go Guangzhou. The most interesting part of Guangzhou is the shopping. This is where we will do most of our shopping. Other than that, we get to meet up with all 37 families that were in Beijing together, then spit up on Monday to go get our babies. It'll be neat to see those families and their babies.

Prayer request: make time go by fast. We're ready for American food & soil!!

Love you guys & gals,

Gered, Brandi & Jada

All Jada, All The Time...

They didn't have anything for us to do today, but the guides from AWAA were busy doing paperwork for us. So, today we just stayed in the hotel for the morning, walked around the 9th floor halls with all the other babies. We did decide to go visit a public park down the street. Talk about beautiful! Landscaping was awesome, there's a big pond in the middle with shaded paths around the park. There were Chinese ladies exercising, Feng Shui or Tai Chi or something. They also had 3 or 4 groups of elderly Chinese folks with instruments, playing music and singing. It was pretty neat. We recieved lots of compliments and stares. Other than that, we sat around the room looking for photo opportunities. So, here are a few:

Tickle spot!!

She's putting alot of stuff in her mouth...

From above...