Aiden's Dedication

We had Aiden Dedicated today in the morning service
at church. It was a special time! We dressed Shaelyn
and Aiden in traditional Chinese attire. They both were
so cute. My Mom and Dad were there and my Sister and her
family. (Rob's parents and family live out of state so
unfortunately couldn't attend). We began his Dedication
with a special video tribute which included pictures of
Aiden in the orphanage, his adoption day and his life now.
These pictures were played to the song "When Love Takes
You In" by Steven Curtis Chapman. Then we took Aiden up
front and all the family gathered around as the Pastor
performed the Dedication ceremony. After prayer, he
presented me with a red rose, and Rob was given a Father's
devotional book. Aiden received the neatest little Bible
and of course the Dedication Certificate. Aiden was very
fussy and cried during most of the ceremony but Mommy
wasn't at all surprised as it was right during nap time!
We are so thankful for Aiden's little life and feel blessed
to be given the opportunity to Dedicate him to God. We are
also thankful for a very supportive extended family who love
Aiden just like he has always been a part of our family!

Our Asian-Themed Tree

When we were waiting for Shaelyn's referral over 10 years
ago, we ran across the most wonderful little Chinese
lantern ornaments and purchased a dozen of them for our
tree. Over the years we have picked up a few more Asian
themed ornaments and have always tried to incorporate
them into our more formal tree we put up in the living
room. Well much to my surprise, our dear friends Chris
and Kathy (who were our wonderful house and pet sitters
while we were in China recently) came over a couple days
ago and gave us some more Asian-themed ornaments! They
gave us some lanterns, a dragon, pagoda, panda bear and
even a koi fish! It was such a nice surprise and made
me even more excited about getting our tree up and
decorated this year. Of course pictures of Christmas
trees never actually do them justice but take my word
for it, it turned out really pretty. Shaelyn thinks it
is pretty cool too:) Thanks Chris and Kathy for thinking
of us! Now to keep Aiden out of the trees! Good luck
with that huh? :)

Shaelyn and Aiden's Tree

I stayed home from work today because Aiden hasn't been
feeling well at all since his immunizations on Tues. He
has had a temp, runny nose and has been extremely fussy
and clingy! In fact, neither of us got out of your PJ's
all day. I did manage to get the trees up (mostly while he was
napping) and Shaelyn and Daddy helped decorate them this
evening. Shaelyn has her tree in the dining room and it
contains colored lights, her sesame street ornament
collection and all her homemade ornaments she's made
over the years. Each year we allow Shae to pick out
an ornament in the store and we buy it for her tree.
One year it was Barbie, then Scoobie Doo, then My Little
Pony, etc. This year it was Hannah Montana. It is
interesting to look back and see all the different phases
of interests she has had. We also put the train
around the tree and only her and Aiden's presents will
be placed underneath. This will be the 10th year we have
done this tradition but of course the 1st year Aiden gets
in on it. Shaelyn was concerned that Aiden did not have
any ornament representation on the tree yet and I told her
it would come. When he's old enough to make ornaments,
they will go on the tree right along with Shae's creations.
Shaelyn loves her tree and Aiden just looks at it and claps.
He actually is more interested in the train underneath!
Anyway, here are some pictures of Shaelyn's masterpiece.

A Thankful Heart

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Well actually it's about
1 hr and 15 mins away from being Thanksgiving Day but who's
counting! We have so much to be thankful for this
Thanksgiving!! With God's help, we have overcome the mountains
of paperwork, red-tape and financial barriers required for an
international adoption. We have traveled half-way around the
world, and now have our wonderful little son. Shaelyn is doing
so much better with her anxiety issues and her school work is
doing much better. Rob and I both have good jobs that seems
somewhat secure even in the midst of a turbulent economy. I had
a cancer scare just a few weeks before leaving for China and
when tests results came back - all was good. Rob has not had
problems with kidney stones this year. We have been blessed
with good health, for which we are very thankful. My 16 yr old
nephew Allen is a brain cancer survivor and is doing great! My
21 year old niece who lost her husband of 6 months in a car
accident a little over a year ago, is doing well with her baby
son. Has it been a difficult year? Yes! But God's grace has
been sufficient for us and we are so grateful for his love
and mercy. So.....Happy Thanksgiving from the Roberts!

Baby Bottle POP

Tonight Aiden got to try a Baby Bottle Pop. Mommy wasn't
too thrilled about all the sugar but every once in a while
is okay I guess:) Aiden was totally impressed with this
Bottle Pop! He finally figured out that the top came off
and it actually tasted sweet. He carried it around for
a long time and just giggled and giggled. Finally he
decided he would eat it and of course made a huge blue mess with
it! I couldn't help but smile as I saw him toddling around
the room with it. To some kids this would've been no big deal,
but to a little guy who has known so little, this was a JOY!
We are so excited thinking ahead to Christmas and all the
JOY he will get to experience this year!

The Bathrobes!

Well it's time to get out the good ole warm bathrobes! We
keep our thermostat on 70 degrees (68 if Daddy has his way),
and it can be pretty chilly when you get out of the tub!
So....I got out Shaelyn and Aiden's robes from the closet
and decided this was the night to try them out. Aiden
wasn't too sure of his until we showed him how Sissy put
hers on and then he was all for it. It was just too cute!
I couldn't help but snap a few pictures. Please excuse
the mess in Aiden's room. Doesn't make a nice backdrop but
oh well, you take a picture whenever and wherever you can
get a good shot:)

The goose egg!

Here is a picture of Aiden sporting his goose egg! It
actually looked much worse than the picture shows and today
is black and blue. As bad as it may be to see that huge goose egg,
I knew it was actually a good sign that it came out instead of going
in. Poor guy! Mommy just can't seem to keep him from getting
banged and bruised up!

Christmas Pictures - NOT!

Tis the season for Christmas pictures, so off we went to
capture our children's best smiles. They both were all
decked out in their Christmas attire and were simply
adorable if I do say so myself!:) The preparation for
this photo session was eventful to say the least. Shaelyn
and I worked on curling her hair and all the other girly
things for well over 45 minutes. Aiden kept coming into the
bathrooom and trying to "assist" us with the primping.
Shaelyn was so irriated at him and he in turn would voice his
discontentment with her as well. Then about an hour before
our 5:30 PM appt. Aiden fell off the couch and hit his
head on the coffee table. Instantly their arose
a HUGE goose egg! It wasn't long before he had dried his tears
and was on the move again, and I was relieved that he was okay
and that the goose egg could be disguised under his bangs.
Then...the dog jumped up on Aiden and gave him a nice scratch
down his nose. Thankfully it faded within approx. 30 mins.
Things were NOT going well and I wondered if I would succeed
in getting both kids to the portrait studio in one piece.
Finally we arrived but Aiden was extremly fussy and would not
cooperate. This is a child that smiles HUGE smiles all the
time and we could hardly even get a grin out of him! He fussed
and fussed the entire time and the photographer, well lets just
say, didn't win photographer of the year award! Anyway, we
left after we viewed our pictures on a compture and I felt
sick! The pictures were not good at all, and I'm no where
closer to having Christmas pictures than before I went.
So....I guess we try again another day at a different
studio. Walmart is looking better and better. Oh well,
maybe next time!

Shaelyn's School Picture

Shaelyn got her school pictures back yesterday and I just
had to share. Isn't she georgeous! Okay, I'm a little biased:)
It's hard to believe my little girl is 10 years old and in the
fourth grade! Where oh where did my baby girl go:) We are so
proud of her. She is as pretty on the inside as she is on the out!

Getting to know Nana

We have been very blessed to have Nana in our lives and
family! Nana is not related by blood but she feels very
much like a relative. She babysat Shaelyn when she was
little. Nana's grandson and Shaelyn were very much like
brother and sister for years. Shaelyn has always called
her "Nana" and I imagine Aiden will do the same. Nana
goes to our church so we see her most every week. Aiden
has been a little cautious of her up until today. He let
Nana hold him some during church and was nothing but
giggles. In fact, I ended up having to take Aiden out of
church because he was being so disruptive. No not
crying....LAUGHING! Deep, loud giggling that even the
preacher noted from the pulpit and made the comment
"Well at least someone has the joy of the Lord back there"!
Anyway, we are thankful that Aiden is finally warming up
to the special people in our lives.

Loving Aunt Maresa!

Aunt Maresa came to visit tonight as well! She's been
trying to get Aiden to warm up to her for some time now.
Well...I think "Aunt Reesie" has finally won Aiden over!
He allowed her to hold him and even gave her a hug with
the special "ohhhhh" sound before she left. Aiden not
only got a Mommy, Daddy and Big Sister on Sept 9th, 2008
but he also got a wonderful extended family that loves
him very much!! His giggles and squeals tell the story
that he is LOVING his new life and family!

Making Music with Baby Ethan

Tonight my niece Shan and her little boy Ethan came to visit.
Aiden ADORES Ethan and hugs and kisses him to a point of almost
being annoying!! Thankfully Ethan is such a good baby and doesn't
seem to mind the abundance of kisses and hugs! Here is a picture
of the two of them playing our piano together. Aiden was fresh
out of the bathtub that's why the absence of clothes. :) It was
just too cute! Thanks Shan for grabbing the camera!

My Baby for 10 weeks!

It is hard to believe that Aiden has been my little boy
for 10 weeks now! He is such a joy and I can't imagine
life without him! I know in my heart he was always meant
to be my baby boy! God is so good!!!

Mimi and Me

My mother came for a quick visit tonight and I just
had to get this picture! Aiden decided he would sit
up on the couch beside of her and smile for the camera
(which is an extreme rarity)! Usually I am chasing him
around with the camera and he wouldn't be still long
enough to get a decent shot. Anyway, here he is with
his Mimi who is oh so proud of her new little grandson.
Aiden is becoming very fond of his Mimi and Papaw and
has started offering many hugs and kisses!

Smile!

We took Aiden for his post-op visit today and the Dr. seemed
very pleased with Aiden's eye. He said the lid would probably
come up a little once all the swelling is gone. He did say that
Aiden's eyelid muscle was very poor and had very little elasticity.
This means that Aiden's eyelid may always be a little droopy.
We are hoping that once the muscle starts to be used it will
develop more and ultimately do the job it was intended to do.
The good news it that the lid has been elevated out of his
line of vision and he can see! We are so thankful for that!
I tried all evening to get a picture of Aiden so everyone
could see how well his eye was looking. Trying to get a picture
of him is like trying to pin a wave upon the sand. Almost impossible.
Finally, I got a couple pictures but only when he was flat on his back
in the crib! He is usually in constant motion and my camera detects
any movement and blurs it. The picture of him laughing is a bonus:)
Obviously you can't see either one of his eyes when he is laughing
this much! It is just so cute and always warms my heart to hear
him giggle.

Proud of Our Girl!

Well I try not to do too much bragging on my children
(smile), but I just had to brag a little on Shaelyn. She has
had such a struggle for a long time in school. Thankfully
she seems to have "rounded the corner"!! She made "A" Honor
Roll for the first time this quarter! This is HUGE for her!
She has really worked hard and we are so proud of her! These
are pictures from the Honor Roll Tea that we attended.

Post Surgery

We were told by the Dr. to expect Aiden's eye to
look worse up to a week or so post surgery. He even said
it would take several weeks for the muscle to heal and
actually do what it is suppose to do. Even though
we were warned, I must admit I am a little discouraged
today. The eyelid is very swollen, bruised and DROOPY!
I know it will improve but I guess I was just hoping
it would look better today. We go back to the Doctor
Monday for a follow up. Right now he can not close that
eye (so sleeps with one eye open - yeah looks kinda
freaky), and does not even blink yet. So....we have
a long way to go before we really see the end results.
Our goal at this point is for his vision to be restored.
We may have to do a second surgery when he is older to
get a better cosmetic appearance (if necessary). Please
pray that Aiden will continue to recover and that the
swelling and bruising will decrease.

Feeling Better!

I just had to share this cute little episode at our
house this evening. Rob and Shaelyn had gone out to
town and I was at home with Aiden. For some reason
popcorn has become a type of "comfort food" at our house,
so I decided I would pop some for Aiden. I popped a
bag and emptied it into a big bowl and set the bowl
on the coffee table in the living room. This is what
I've done numerous times before without incident. I
had to run to the back of the house for just a minute
and when I returned I found this sight! Apparently
Aiden was seeing popcorn as a toy vs. a comfort food.
As you can see by the photo, he had dumped it out on
the floor and had proceeded to walk all over it! I
grabbed the camera BEFORE I grabbed the vacuum cleaner.
Aren't you all so proud of me:) Anyway, it was too
cute and is a sure sign that he is feeling better!

Surgery Over!!

We are back from the hospital and Aiden is doing well! We
arrived at the hospital @ 6:00 AM and by 7:20 AM he was in
surgery. About an hour later they came and told us everything
went well and we could see him in a few minutes. They brought
him to us a couple minutes later and he was upset but looked
terrific! The results were immediate! They did such a great
job of fixing that left upper lid. Within minutes Aiden was
drinking juice and eating cherrios! They removed his IV and
we were given discharge instructions. We were so thankful and
excited that it was over. OR SO WE THOUGHT! Moments before
we were to leave the hospital Aiden reached up and rubbed his
eye (which had no bandage of any kind on it)! Immediately I
noticed a large amount of blood and called for the nurse. He
had popped a couple stitches! Urghh! We waited for the Doctor
to come back and take a look at it. He confirmed that a couple
stitches had come loose and that he would have to go back in
and re-suture it. WHAT!?? They'd already removed the IV AND
he had already eaten! So.....They had to put in another IV,
head back tot he OR and put him back under anesthia. They
even had to pump his stomach because of the cherrios. Poor guy!!
It was not a good experience to say the least. About an hour
later Aiden was returned to us (with an eye guard on this time)
and we were allowed to actually go home this time! He really
went through a lot but the outcome is terrific. The nurses and
Doctors were wonderful there and we were treated very nicely.
Aiden will probably look worse tomorrow and even the next
day as the swelling will increase as well as the bruising.
But the initial report is that the surgery (or should I say
"surgeries") were a success! Here are some before and after
photos! Thanks to everyone for their prayers and especially to
my Mom and Dad, Aunt Maresa and Cousins Shan and baby Ethan
for coming to the hospital to show their support! You all are
the best!!

Surgery this morning

Please keep us in your prayers. Aiden undergoes surgery this
morning @ 7:30 AM. We have to be at the hospital at 6:00. I
am very apprehensive but excited that we are on our way to
helping our little guy see better. We will keep you posted
on his progress!

"Farmer" Papaw

Here are a couple pictures of Shaelyn and Aiden at Halloween
with their Papaw. Aiden was a Ninja and Shaelyn was a
Pop Star. Papaw was a farmer. Aren't these just the
cutest pictures!

Aiden's Surgery Date Changed

Aiden will have surgery on Thursday, Nov. 6th instead
of the 5th. They called me Friday and told me that the
surgery was going to be done at 12:50 PM and that Aiden
couldn't eat anything after midnight the night before.
NOT!! I knew that would not work!! This kid LIVES to EAT!
So, I called the Dr. to see if we couldn't reschedule it
for an early time. Luckily they had an opening the next
day (Nov. 6th) @ 7:30 AM. MUCH better!!! Please keep us
in your prayers.