Update
Brooke is walking everywhere now. She looks so cute walking. She also likes to climb. She will climb up on a chair and stand. She also will climb on the couch. She has gave me a couple of scares doing this. Brooke has no fear of heights. She loves to climb. The higher she can climb the more fun she thinks it is.
Brooke also loves the outside. She loves the dogs and cats.
Courtney is doing good. She will soon be through with second grade. I am ready for Spring break. Courtney is also ready. She will be turning 8 soon. My little girl is growing up.
Mommy and daddy are doing good. I can't seem to get enough sleep lately. Brooke gave me three good nights of sleep. It still was not enough. I have lost so much sleep the past three months that it is really catching up with me.
It is a really beautiful day here in Union Grove. I think me and the girls are going to go outside for a little bit.
Take Care, Denna

two new items on site
On our home page click on Brooke's song. Thanks to Bro. Johnathon Cornwell for doing this for us. We appreciate you Johnathon.
Since I am running out of disk space I have added pictures to my photo site. From now on if you want to see updates on pictures please click on links and then click my photo site.
Thanks Amy for doing this for me. We appreciate all you have done for us.
I hope you all enjoy the song and the pictures. Take Care, Denna

China video
Just wanted to share with you a China Care Video. If you have 13 extra minutes this video is great. This guy started at 16 and wanted to help China's orphanage's. You will need tissue. In fact you might need a good bit of tissue.
http:www.ChinaCare.org/ChinaCareVideo-HiRes.html
Take care,
Denna

3 months
Yesterday was three months that we have had our sweet Brooke. It seems like we have had her forever. She is such a blessing to us. Brooke is still not sleeping well at night. Better, but not good. Brooke is trying to walk. She takes a few steps, but she does not walk far. Brooke is saying quite a few words. (momma, dadda, daddy,sis,cracker, cookie,hi and bye)Those are her favorite words. She might say a few more.
We took the girls to the rodeo and they loved it. Brooke loved to watch the horses. She was so good, and still. I was afraid we would have to stay out the whole time with her, but she did great.
Just wanted to do a quick update. Take Care.
Denna

Guest book
I forgot to post this on my update. I really don't mind you signing my guest book.(HINT) I love to hear from everybody. Take care,
Denna

Update
Mood:  happy
I know I need to update. Things have been hectic around here. It is also hard to find the time to update when you have a little one who wants to help you. Brooke wants to press every button she finds on the computer.
Brooke is finally over her sickness. She is eating and feeling much better. She still don't sleep very well. After my last post I was able to get two good nights of rest. I guess God saw I really needed my energy back. I got enough energy to help me be able to go. Some nights I feel like I have no energy left to go. Many nights I end up sleeping in Courtney's bed with Brooke. It is terrible sleep. I am on a twin bed with a baby who wants to move all over the bed. She also like to hit me in the face. Imagine being asleep and waking up with something whamming you in the face. It is not fun. I hope soon she will sleep good again. A couple of nights Brooke has had night terrors. I am not for sure what she is dreaming. She will wake us up screaming. Her scream is terrible and pitiful. When I go to comfort her she is in a daze. She is looking around like she does not know where she is at. I will pick her up and hug her and tell her it is O.K. During times like that I pretty much have to hold her for awhile. She loves the comfort of mommy and does not want down.
Brooke is starting to be like Courtney was when she was a baby. When I rock her to sleep she likes to play with my shirt. The other night I put one of my shirts in her bed hoping that would help her sleep better. I know it is going to take time.
During the day Brooke is the sweetest happiest baby you can find. She is in to everything. She still is not walking. She is trying very hard though. She thinks of it as a game. She will take three steps and then fall to the floor and smile.
Yesterday my wonderful guide XiXi sent me a couple of pictures. They are pictures I will treasure. My guide paid the orphanage to take pictures of Brooke's finding spot. They was able to take 9 families pictures. XiXi picked the prints up and emailed them to me. The place was not as bad as I had pictured. Actually the area around her finding spot was beautiful. It looked like a park. I felt sad as I looked at the pictures and thought about things. Brooke was left in the winter time. I know it was cold. I can't help but smile and think about God's angels right there on each side of Brooke. I know God had His hand on my little girl. God took care of her and placed her in our hearts and home. We love her so much. She is a wonderful blessing to our family.
I don't want to leave my sweet Courtney out. Courtney is also a blessing from God. I know we could have lost Courtney, but God chose to let us keep her. I can never thank God enough for his wonderful blessings to us.
Denna

Brooke is still not sleeping good
The past week has been very hard. Brooke has been sick. I thought at first she was teething. Then I thought it was from the shots. Now I just don't know. She has been running fever and not eating for almost a week. She ate a little better yesterday and today. Maybe she is getting better. She has a terrible cough also.
Brooke is still not sleeping good. I just don't understand it. She was doing so good, until she went for shots. Brooke has always been a mommy's girl. Since the shots she is even more a Mommy's girl. Brooke had got to the point that she would let others hold her some. The past week she does not want anybody but me. If somebody comes up and starts talking to her she starts crying. I feel very confused. I know she has been sick and that is probably a lot of why she is clingy.
Emily mentioned in my guest book that Brooke could have had memories of the shots in China. That is something I have not thought about. She very well could have. I know that in China they use the same needle over and over. After awhile a needle will become dull. If that is the case she probably did not have a good experience with shots while in China. The past week has been very stressful. The lack of sleep is killing me. I did have one night last week that Brooke slept better, but over all it has been bad. My wonderful husband is such a blessing to me. He really has helped out when he has been off of work. Of course some of the times He was being a help, Brooke only wanted her mommy so of course I had to rescue her. LOL Kevin decided he would get up with her the nightsaz he was home. Normally you go pat her and put her passey in her mouth and she goes right back to sleep. I would say we have been getting up with Brooke around 10 times a night. If Brooke had not been sick I might have let her cry for a little bit. It is very hard to do that when she is sick, because I am not for sure if she is hurting or if she is having bad dreams. I know she was put through much last week with the blood being drawn and shots.
Brooke also got her first major boo/boo, this week.
The screen door did not latch and Brooke crawled up to the door and pushed the door and it came back on her fingers. She was crying so hard. Her finger was stuck. The door would not go either way. I was praying "Lord Please don't let her finger be broke"
Kevin was able to pull up on the door and push down on Brooke's finger and pull it out. She had a good bit of skin pulled off the finger but thankfully nothing serious. We held pressure on the finger and then put a band aid on it. We could ask Brooke where she got hurt and she would hold up her little finger. She is a mess.
On a brighter note, Brooke's lab work came back today and everything is fine. We give God the praise for that.
I have so much more I could write, but I will have to do that another time. Both girls are ready for bed. Mommy is also ready for bed. I am trusting we will have a good night of rest.
Denna

No sleep
Mood:  not sure
my photo album I have had two nights without sleep. I am so exhausted. I am not sure what is going on with Brooke. She had been doing so good. She would sleep through the night. Some nights she would wake up one time. The past two she has been horrible with her sleep. Thursday night Kevin and I got up about 10 times with her. I finally but her in Courtney's bed and slept with her, but it was no better.
Last night I had Brooke by myself. I think I might have got a total of 2 and a half hours of sleep. She cried on and off all night. I feel terrible.
Last night Brooke might have had a reason to cry. I know she has been cutting teeth so that was part of it. The main thing is she went to the Dr. yesterday and had to have four shots, and be stuck for blood.
I know she had to be sore from that.
Brooke went to a new Dr. yesterday. I really like him. He is wonderful. Brooke did not have a good experience. First off when Dr. Patz came in Brooke started looking at him like " Don't even touch me" Brooke is staring at him and she is trying to back up to the wall and "BAM" she bongs her head. Of course she starts crying. She has hit her head much harder than that and never flinched. I think she might have knew something was fixing to happen. When the Dr. tried to look at her ears and throat she was so mad. When they drew blood it was terrible. I felt so sorry for Brooke. They had to tie a tunic an around both arms to see which one had the best vein to get blood. Brooke was crying her heart out. Yes mommy got tears also. I was trying to be strong, but I honestly could have bawled right there if the nurses was not in the room. Brooke had to be held down, which made her even madder. I let Kevin help with that, because it was to much for me. Brooke would not take her eyes off the nurse. Every once in a while she would glance at her daddy like " help me dad" he would just talk sweet to her, but it did not help. Finally the blood part was over. They handed her to me and she clung to me. Then another nurse comes in for the shots. As soon as we lay Brooke on the table She starts screaming. By the time the four shots was done Brooke was almost out of breath. She had this cry like" aw, aw, aw, awwwwwwwwwwwwww,"
My heart was breaking. When Courtney was a baby I don't remember going through this. Courtney did not start crying about shots until she was 2. She might have cried out when the shot first stuck her, but nothing like Brooke did.
The bad thing is I have this to look forward to for the next few months or year. Dr. Pat thought it would be best to start all her shots over like she never had them. Some of the reason is the vaccine from China could have been old, sitting to long, not given on time, or the fact that she might never have received it anyway.
Yesterday was a very traumatizing event for Brooke.
I feel last night she was in much pain.
Please pray for me that I can get some rest. I am the type that is not effected good when I loose a lot of sleep. I can't think clear and just feel terrible for days. Pray that Brooke will feel better soon.
By the way Brooke weighed 18 pounds. She was 90% on her height and 10% on her weight. She eats all the time. I figured she would have been about 21 pounds.
Take Care Everybody,
Denna

update
I have not had any disk space to do a update. Sweet Amy helped me out, so I could at list post some. Thanks Amy.Yesterday Brooke took three steps to me. I was so happy to see her first steps. I think she did it before she realized what she had done. She has been standing alone all week, but not taking any steps. I had a toy that she wanted and she started smiling and reached to get the toy and had this look of such surprise on her face. She then walked to Courtney and her daddy. Today she took a few more steps, but not really enough to say she is walking. I think it will be very soon though.
She is doing great still. I was able to post some pictures of Brooke eating her cake if you want to look. She made a big mess.
my photo album

Happy Birthday Brooke
Mood:  hungry
Today was Brooke's birthday. Brooke also received her certificate of Citizenship today. Along with that she received a letter from President Bush welcoming her to the United States. I thought it was pretty neat. Especially with today being her birthday.
As I looked at her certificate with her picture on it, and then read the letter from the President I could not help but get tears in my eyes. Brooke is so blessed. Today is a day of joy for us. As my mind thinks about this time last year I feel so sad for Brooke's biological mom.I wonder what she is doing this year and if she thinks of Brooke. All I can do is pray for Brooke's biological mom. I pray that if she is thinking of her sweet girl that she gave up, that God will comfort her and somehow let her know Brooke is in good hands. I will never know why Brooke's mom chose this. I do understand that things are not easy for the people in China. I also understand that God had this sweet little girl picked out for us and that this was meant to be. I can't help but think of the children's song
" Somebody prayed for me" Brooke had many people praying for her. I still would not be surprised if Brooke had a saved grandmother and Granddaddy in China praying for Brooke to find a loving Christian home. Brooke has found her forever family and I am so thankful. I have a poem for my little sweetheart.

Brooke's Birthday
What a precious bundle of joy you are.
Cute from head to toe.
You melt our hearts with your sweetness
Everywhere you go.
You're a golden ray of sunshine
Sent from heaven above
A perfect little angel
For all of us to love.
Happy Birthday Brooke,
Love mommy, daddy, and sissy