Our little Ladybug, Allie Howell

2007-01-02T15:26:00.000-05:00

Christmas has come and gone....and Miss Allie still has not played with all of the toys that Santa brought her....wow. We video taped all of the Christmas present unwrapping, which took all day, so I need to try and get some photos uploaded. Here are some Halloween photos of Allie.

A few newer photos of Allie

2006-10-08T12:42:00.000-05:00

These are from September, she loves to help me clean the house, I had just finished (I thought) using the broom, only to have Allie really finish for Mama, she also loves her sunglasses, she must wear them every where especially in the car, no matter where I place the sun screen by her carseat, those darn sun rays still get into her eyes, and this causes alot of drama.

Getting ready for Halloween!!

2006-10-08T12:33:00.000-05:00

Wow!! Has my hair grown....just kidding...this is going to be part of Allie's Raggedy Ann costume. I was getting out the Fall/Halloween decorations, and came across the Reba wig...she loves it, and she wore it around the house for about 30 mins...this also included the insane poseing in the mirror, as if to say "Oh look at me, Iam beautiful". She is a very funny little girl. (check out the dimples)

WOW time really flies!!!

2006-08-24T15:04:00.000-05:00

Hello, I am very sorry for not blogging sooner, but the last 3mths are a blur....Allie is getting so big. Just a few news in the news: Allie started daycare this month, she is doing much better than Mommy, and Allie had her first of a few major surgeries yesterday, she had her palette repaired at Strong Memorial and we came home today!!! I thought at least two days of her being out of it, but this morning she was up and smiling at me. She drank a little apple juice and some baby food this morning, and since we are home, she is playing with toys and eating more baby food, so she has her appiette back.
Talk with you later,
Kelly

Great Wall of China

2006-06-09T18:28:00.000-05:00

Roy and I at the Great Wall, this was a truly once in a life time experience, the wonder of how this could have been made is still a puzzle, no wonder you can see it from space, we could only make it up to the third platform which was around two hundred or more steps.....it was wicked hot and the stones just radiated extra heat....still we climbed to the brave rock.

Family photo from China countryside

2006-06-09T18:17:00.000-05:00

I love this photo, we are standing in a rice field in the countryside of NanNing, this part of China is very rough and rural, with only women working the fields and oxen are used to move heavy items...very rustic....the beautiful background must give the women strength to work in the horrible sun and heat all day. Even to see the working and living conditions, you still cannot understand what life is like for the families. I could only imagine how ridiculus we where to these women, as we walk through there field taking photos, as they are washing laundry and tending the fields.

Outside photo fun

2006-06-09T18:06:00.000-05:00

Grandma Brink bought Allie this cool water table, we only have been able to use it once, since the weather is to cold and rainy for the last three days.

New shoes

2006-06-09T17:58:00.000-05:00

Hello,
Allie loves her new Ked sneakers, she also loves to untie them and chew on the plastic end covers while we are driving in the car.

Kelly

Two weeks home and very comfortable

2006-06-09T17:53:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, Allie has adjusted very well to her new home and family members. She has traveled to the Windmill, Arnot Mall, Walmart, Toys-r-Us, and Norva restaurant. She loves all of the attention she is getting. We also love playing in the backyard when the weather has permitted as well as our afternoon stroller rides into town and around the school where she can see all of the little kids playing.

Photos

2006-05-27T21:38:00.000-05:00

Hello,
Here are some photos, not in any order. This is our China family...Colleen/Scott Vasey with daughter Sasha in the middle and Kathy/Nat Oleveri with daughter Lyric on the end right. This was taken late Thursday night, the girls are hot and tired, but they did sit pretty for the group photo, which was taken at theWhite Swan Hotel in Guangzhou.

Kelly

We have photos!!!

2006-05-27T21:26:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, we finally made it home late last night, and Allie did not get to sleep til around 1:30am....we all had a rough night, although this morning what a difference, I am trying to get her onto a normal NY time schedule...she is currently asleep in her crib for now.

Here are some photos!!!!

Love
Kelly

hello from allie

2006-05-21T22:02:00.000-05:00

kfentgfhjtjhfgvd

that means hello from Allie, she is helping mommy type a hello message to everyone, we braved a taxi drive to and from
Wally world today...It is very exciting to hail a cab in Chinqa< nothing like NY.

We are leaving NanNing tomorrow morning and flying to Guangzhou..then to Hong Kong and home to Newark/Rochester on Friday...this will be a very long day for Allie...so please everyone remember that she will be very tired and cranky that day...

love from China

First trip to Walmart Superstore

2006-05-18T01:27:00.000-05:00

Today was Allie's first experience in a store, she was a little upset at first to have to sit in the shopping cart seat, but as long as Mommy pushed the cart, she was fine. We ended up with 5 shopping bags and only spent 240 rmb or around 40 usd, how try that at the local Wally World!!! We bought the cutest pair of sneaker type mary jane shoes for Allie, they are mint green with hearts and flowers hand painted on the canvas, with great rubber tread on the soles...for only 29.70 rmb or around 3 usd. We will probably buy the squeeky shoes in Guanghzou as well as a few new outfit and the traditional chinesse dress for Allie.
Well, got to go Allie is about to wake up from her nap.

Hugs and Kisses,
from Allie's mommy

We are finally a family of THREE!!!

2006-05-16T23:27:00.000-05:00

Roy and I would like to announce our daughter Shannon Allison Howell, became our "offical" daughter today at 930 am, we now have a few days to relax here in Nanning, and then we travel next Tuesday to Guangzhou to have Allie's physical, and visa paperwork completed. YEAH, oh happy days....we are almost home. We had our Gotcha Day last evening, and after several hours of not wanting to sleep, Allie finally gave in at around 830pm, after Mommy walked her to sleep for 1 hour, the "cot" crib is very scary, and only to trusted to have a sleeping child in, and then you need your mommy radar for any noise she may make. She is a very funny ha,ha type child...her pjs are to long to I had "erkilized" her pants...this she did not like...she walked around like her diaper was up her behind and pulled her waist in a more comfy place...she loves to be tickled and will not share her toys with neither mommy or daddy...she is a very loving child...she loves kisses and hugs...and will also be held by both of us...which is a great relief for Roy, only she wants mommy for the falling a sleep detail...we are going to try the tub bath tonight...I hope she likes water.

We apologize for lack of photos, the hotels have computers at business center, and we have one in our room, only they do not have any open link available to upload our digital camera.....sorry and everyone will have to wait for the photos once we get home next week.

Love and kisses for everyone
Kelly

Nihao from China

2006-05-14T23:44:00.000-05:00

Hello....hot and sunny in china, we travel to Great Wall, Tinnamin Square and Forbidin City yesterday, tomorrow we Fly to Nanning and to meet our daughter....tried to upload photos, only could not make a connection with the computer and camera, lots of love and kisses...hope to be able to share photos later.

Love Kelly and Roy

We have travel dates!!!!

2006-04-23T12:05:00.000-05:00

Wow, it is finally here. We fly out of Rochester on May 12 and arrive in Beijing on May 13. We will have gotcha day on May 16!!!!! Our CA date is May 24, and we fly home from Hong Kong on May 26.
Thank you for everyones emotional support in our long journey to Allie.

Love
Kelly, Roy and Allie

We have TA

2006-04-07T20:07:00.000-05:00

We finally have our Travel Approval today!!!! We are going to get Allie the first week of May!!!! I will have her for Mothers Day, what a great way to celebrate.
Thank you to all who have waited with us!!
Love,
Kelly, Roy and Allie

2006-03-25T18:09:00.000-05:00

Shannon Allison "Allie" FuLu Howell

about 13 mths in photo

DOB: November 17, 2004

Any guess at current height and weight???

Love-Kelly

Update on TA

2006-03-25T18:05:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone,

After emailing our SW yesterday, we have very exciting info., our TA should be in the next batch our agency will get. She stated that we are "at the top of the Pack". I hope this really is good news, and I have a feeling that next week we may have our TA, everyone pray for us and that we have a asap CA for the first half of April, since the last two weeks of April Guangzhou has their trade shows going on!! What a great Mothers day gift this would be!!!!

Pray for us all!!!
Love- Kelly, Roy and Miss FuLu

Hello Again

2006-03-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

Hello from the endless waiting parents. I called our agency on Wednesday, and was told that we are definatley "clocked in" at CCAA. We are currently on day 37 of our wait. The average wait has been 75 days, but one of the online groups I am a member of, is currently averaging 65 days...so maybe we will get our TA the end of this month, and if we have to wait for our china appt. (2-3weeks) then we will travel as soon as the beginning of May. Please keep your fingers crossed for us!!!!

No new news on TA yet

2006-02-23T20:19:00.000-05:00

Just a message to family who is keeping track of our progress. No news yet, and a special note to my brother Doug, thanks for the catch on my previous post. It is nice to know that someone is reading them.

CCAA moving

2006-02-11T16:20:00.000-05:00

I really dont know how many read my blog site, I really am just venting now, once in China I can update family and friends on our journy and show photos of us. In my adoption group online, I just read that CCAA is moving either in Feb or March. What the Heck....Iam already nuts with just waiting for our TA to get here, I hope this moving is not there number one priority.

Our agency.....

2006-02-09T17:17:00.000-05:00

Really is frustrating me to no end! I found out that our LID is not yet available, since the Dossier was not mailed until 1/17/2006. So, who really knows when we are travelling. In December we where told look at March-April, then we where told that after the letter of intent was LID on 12/12/2005 to hurry and get the dossier there. OK. So dossier to agency 1/4/2006, pre-approval on 1/17/2006 to agency. I feel I have better odds playing the lottery!
Meanwhile, Miss FuLu still has not had any surgery to even repair her lip, for christsakes. I really dont get it. She will be 15mths on 2/17/2006, the recommended age is no later than 18mths, related to her speech development factors. Daddy, Miss Fulu and I will have alot of speech therapy ahead of us. Thankfully, the speech therapist at work is going to help for free. I get very few perks at work, the free knowledge base of my contacts are the best of all.

Oh crazy days

2006-02-08T16:08:00.000-05:00

I am really getting very tired of waiting. I can only clean, pack and unpack, wash and rearrange items in this house so many time. I really wish it was spring, so that I could be outside working the the yard and flower beds. Roy and I put in a new bed, outside of Shannon's room, I still need to mulch and wood chip it this spring. We also are drawing up plans for a wood playset to be in the backyard where the apple tree was. I want to block the area off with landscaping timbers, fill it in with pea stone and have the playset in the middle. Also, want to build flower boxes for the timbers around the deck area for Shannon to have her own flower gardens. And, of course in the spring Shannon will be here.

The current Queen of the house.

2006-02-08T15:58:00.000-05:00

Is not me, it is Piper our black 10mth old kitten. I just really hope that she adapts to Shannon. If not, she will be exhiled into the basement.

Shannon's Room

2006-02-08T15:41:00.000-05:00

I love how Shannon's Nursery turned out. The blue is a very calming color. Once her car seat and luggage are gone, she will have plenty of room to play. The wonderful toy/hope chest that Uncle Doug and Aunt Kristen bought for her is currently in the living room. I will stain it this spring when the weather is better. The quilt hanging over the crib side was made by Grandma Howell, and Aunt Roxanne helped me sew the changing table skirt. Once Shannon get older she and goes into a big girl bed, we are going to buy the whole bedroom set then. I would like to get a daybed with trundle, night stand and dresser.

Do you think I packed enough?

2006-02-08T15:32:00.000-05:00

Do you thing I packed enough for Miss FuLu? She will have more clothes to wear than Mommy and Daddy.

2005 Christmas Photos

2006-02-08T15:08:00.000-05:00

I have finally posted Christmas pictures from both families. The photo on the left is at Grandma Howell's home, Grandma Howell is sitting by daddy and Uncle AJ is behind him. The photo on the right is at our home. It is Pop-Pop, Granny and Uncle Chris, and Jerry the dog. It was a wonderful holiday season, with lots of love and gifts to be had!!!

NO NEW NEWS YET!

2006-02-06T13:10:00.000-05:00

Just sending info on no info yet.

membership to adopting.org /thru MSN

2006-02-05T18:58:00.000-05:00

After searching many chat room sites yesterday, with no luck, I found this great site with discussion groups and chat rooms and alot of extra info. It is great!!!!

The Brink Family

2006-02-03T13:53:00.000-05:00

This is my family; starting left to right
Alex, Kristen, Doug, Meghan, Chris, Christy, Jerry the Dog, Mom and Dad! This was taken Labor Day week, little miss Meghan turned 1 year old. She is just around two months older than Shannon, who was born on November 17, 2004.

Its all in the name!

2006-02-03T13:38:00.000-05:00

When Roy and I first started our adoption journy, we spent several weeks finding a name. My family is Irish/Scot/English and Roy's family from Wales. So, I wanted a Irish name as well as a name to be shortened for a nickname, since I never had that option with my name. I loved Shannon...and we wanted a family name for the middle, Roy's Dad passed on several years ago, and they called him Allie which is short for Alfred...so we choose Allison as her middle name and will be called Allie after her Grandpa.

Baby shower Thanks

2006-02-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

Roy, Shannon and I would like to thank all family and friends who recently attended our baby shower. It really means alot to Roy and I that we have all of this support, it makes the waiting alot smoother.

Endless waiting for our Invitation letter

2006-02-03T13:05:00.000-05:00

We are still in the process of waiting. We have gotten our pre-approval letter on Jan. 17,2006 as well as Shannon's visa paperwork packet. We are being told that the special needs program moved quicker than the healthy baby program, I am finding this very hard to beleive. We received the referral on November 7, 2005 sent our letter of intent and acceptance on November 10....which in turn took two months for a pre-approval letter from the letter of intent. The only plus of this is we did receive two new photos of Shannon!!!