ANOTHER GREAT WEEK!!

March 27th was LiLi's Gotcha Day. We adopted her 3 years ago. She had a great day. I made chocolate chip cookies for her class. She told EVERYONE..in the elevator, the front desk, her class.."today is My Gotcha Day". It was so cute. She loves unicorns so George and I got her a stuffed unicorn and a unicorn book. We got her an awesome cake from an all natural French bakery that is AWESOME!! We went to Asia on the Parkway, her favorite restaurant for dinner. We had such a great day and we are very glad that Karen could spend the day with us!

We had a great second week! Bella has learned a couple of more words and she can point to her eyes, nose, mouth and ears when asked. She had an appointment at The International Adoption Clinic on Thursday and they were impressed with how she was on target for her age. She will literally do sommersaults on the floor and just start laughing. She did have scabies, which are tiny mites that bury theirselves under the skin, so we had a cream party last night. George, Bella, LiLi, my friend Karen who was here visiting and myself had to cover ourselves with a medicated cream. We then had to wash all linens, etc. This is very common when you adopt a child from Ethiopia..and it really is not a big deal at all..small price to pay when you see a scared child transform into a happy, confident child right before your eyes. We are so blessed to have her for a daughter. She fits our family perfectly. :)

A BIG thanks to my friend Karen. She was here Wednesday to Sunday. Her husband stayed home with her three young boys so she could come give me a hand. She cooked, cleaned, bathed LiLi, cleaned out the pantry, and SO much more. I have a freezer full of food that she prepared and then put into the freezer for future use! Such a dear friend! I love ya girl!! :)

Here are some more pictures! Gotto go do more laundry!! Hee Hee!!

Our first week together! :)

We have had a great week..overall! :) LiLi has adjusted to big sisterhood pretty well..not jealous at all of sharing her parents..just her toys! SHe is a big help bringing me the wipes, diapers, etc.
Bella is doing great. She went to her pediatrician appointment on Tuesday. She is tiny..18 pounds 14 ounces and 31 1/2 inches tall. She has an appointment with the International Adoption Clinic on Thursday. SHe is sleeping 11-12 hours a night and takes an hour nap. SHe eats almost everything...but doesn't seem to like milk. Of course we have the language barrier but she is stubborn. If you take something away from her that she wants..she sits and just looks at you for about 10 minutes with her bottom lip pouting. Then she is fine. She has already started to say "open", "papa" and she calls me ma me a. She also gives plenty of kisses. My friend, Karen, will be here Wednesday through Sunday (can't wait)! Anna was here this past Wednesday through Saturday morning. Our church has been bringing us dinner Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays and will continue for the next 2 weeks until we go to Charleston. We will be there for the month of April.

Today we left the house at 0945. We went to church, out to lunch, and to the playground. We had a great day. Both kids were exhausted. We are so proud of LiLi..she is such a great big sister!

Here are the pictures!!

More Pictures!

WE ARE HOME!

We made it back to Philadelphia. She did great on the ride home. She was talking a mile a minute but of course we couldn't understand her. :) She got quiet when we got back to the apartment. LiLi was very sweet and gave her a hug. Bella Dasash is VERY scared of the kitties so we are keeping then away for the time being.

She just ate a whole banana. We are going to LiLi's favorite Chinese Restaurant for dinner tonight. We want to take Claire since she has never been.

Here are some more pictures!

SHE IS HERE AND BEAUTIFUL!!

We finally saw our beautiful daughter at 1030 this morning. She went straight to George and me smiling the whole way. She has been laughing so much! She had egg noodles and broccoli for lunch. They said that she eats everything and dislikes nothing so it looks like we have another easy eater here. She has been playing with her play telephone since we gave it to her..and keeps putting it up to her ear saying "Hello". I will post more later but here are the pictures you have been waiting for!!

We are in DC!!

It took us 4 1/2 hours to drive to DC today instead of the normal 2 hours and 45 minutes. We ran into a lot of traffic. We arrived at Embassy Suites at 6, took showers and then headed out to a mexican dinner. YUM :)

We just checked on Bella Dasash's flight. They have completed the 6 hour flight to Rome and will leave shortly for the 9 hour flight to Dulles.

LiLi is having a blast with Claire. She wasn't concerned at all when we left for DC. She asked Claire before bed.."how many days until I can see my baby sister Bella?"

Please pray that the entire Thornley Family stays healthy. Please also pray for good bonding. I'm sure that she is very scared since she has left the only country that she has ever known.

We will be posting pictures tomorrow afternoon. Please leave comments so I can print them for her baby book.

The Thornley Family

Introducing Isabella Dasash Mulu Thornley!!

18 months


15 months


I am walking out the door to go pick up Claire from the airport. She will be keeping LiLi Friday through Sunday while George and I go to DC to pick up Bella Dasash. I received the okay today from the agency to post pictures. I will be posting many more on Saturday so please check then as well!

Happy Anniversary Baby!

Four years ago today George and I got married. Our big wedding was on April 9th. March 7th was very special because it was just the two of us together with our preacher. After we were married, we went downtown and had lunch at Magnolia's, then we headed to the Market Pavilion for a drink. It was a very special day.

7 days to go!