"She's going to THUMP you!"

That's what I heard today as we were buying new walking shoes for Kim! And the guy is right!

Kim has been so dedicated to walking and I've been more of a part-time walker!

I recently got back on my walking regiment after spending a month and a half working on the house. I'll get back to where I'm supposed to be but if I don't, then maybe I'll buy some of those shoes that kids wear that have the built in rollerskates. That way I can hold onto Kim and she can pull me the rest of the way! ! !

I can see it now. . . "Oops! here comes a hill! ! ! ! !"

On second thought, I should probably pick up my pace and get ready for the marathon!

Can you read me now?

Alrighty then! Can everyone read this?

Good! Now let's move on. . . What? You can't read it?

Of course not. It's the chinese symbol for love. We have had several people ask us what this means. We put it smack in the middle of our adoption/fundraising letter.

Love. It's the love we have for our daughter, who we haven't even seen yet, that makes us want to travel half way around the world so we can get her!

ROAR!

Well, the rumors on the adoption boards are that the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) is sending out referrals for May 31st and that there will be no June LID's in this bunch!

If this is true, then it has taken the CCAA at least 2 months to go through May's LID.

For those of you keeping score, we have a LID (Log-In Date) of December 14th.

The time seems to be slowwwwwwwiiiiiiinnnnngggggg down!

And now to quote my co-worker Stacy, "Roar!"

OUCH!

Well, Kim and I have had our 2nd round of Hepatitis B shots. Man, do they hurt! It feels like they are trying to shove something solid into our arms! !

We had our first round of Hepatitis A shots also the same night.

Kim hates shots!

I told her that the Hep A goes in your hip! heh heh! ! !

I almost had her believing me! When the nurses were about to give me my Hep A shot, I almost screamed out in pain just to play with Kim but thought better of it.

She wouldn't be happy!

I did treat her to some ice cream after the shots!

All's fair in Hep shots and ice cream!

Fundraising

Well, Kim and I are getting ready for the Music City 1/2 Marathon on April 29th.

That's 13.1 miles!

I get winded if I think too fast! Oh well, I'll be able to do it. I might have to visit the Oxygen Bar in Opry Mills!

Getting back on task. We are trying to raise the remainder of what we will need by doing a walk-a-thon. We need to raise $10,000. That's a daunting task but we are following God's will!

Did you know that it takes about $18,000 - $20,000 to adopt from China?
Did you also know that girls are abandoned because the family values sons over daughters? They are abandoned on the side of a road, in a park, outside of orphanages, etc.

Our daughter will be abandoned. She will be considered the bottom of society.

But here's the amazing thing: On a certain day, later this year, a day that we will call "Gotcha Day," our daughter will become the center of our universe!

You can't tell me that God's hand is not in this!

LADYBUGS!

"What's with the ladybugs?"

You might be wondering that same question. Well, the ladybug is kinda the unofficial symbol for China adoption. I'm not sure how it started but seeing the ladybug is a sign of good luck. And if you see a ladybug, then supposedly referrals are on their way!

It's something fun to do while you wait for your referral. I personally saw a ladybug back in December at my parent's house, and later that week, our dossier was logged in at the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs). Weird!

Introduction

HELLO EVERYBODY!

I'm Keith and this is Kim! (I'm on the right, and Kim is on the left). This is our blog dedicated to our daughter Kinsley, who is somewhere in China. We don't know where yet! You see, we are adopting a baby girl from China! This will be our first child and we are pretty excited.

Okay, we are REALLY EXCITED! and a little bit scared-at least I am. I've never really been around kids that much, especially babies. Kim has and she's great! She seems to be able to get babies to laugh and smile at her. They normally look at me like they have gas or something!

When someone tries to hand a baby to me to hold, I tense up and hold the baby like it is some delicate piece of 3000 year old Egyptian papyrus!

Don't get me started on changing diapers! All I got to say on that subject is there better be a manual!

During our time together, we'll share about our adoption experience and if you have any questions, then give a shout. We'll try to answer them all.

Keith and Kim

Our first post

Kim and I just set up our daughter's blog. We are adopting our first child from China-a baby girl!