Wow, how can it already be 1 year that our sweet Samantha has been home with us? Seems like just yesterday that we were holding her in our arms for the first time. So many changes have occurred in the past year. It was really hard to look back through these pictures of our first…
Category Archives: Our Trip to China for Samantha
We got home around 11:30pm tonight. Our dear and wonderful friends, John, Norie and Cecelia met us at the airport. We were thrilled when they surprised us. Time to sleep in our own bed for a change. I am so excited! Unpacking will have to wait until tomorrow.
Hi Jonni, I am getting so nervous. I keep watching your gotcha day video and trying to imagine myself there with ZenXiao. I hope Yuping is doing well and your jetlag is wearing off. Take care of yourself and your beautiful angels. Love Kelli
Hi Jonni, I got you note on China adopt talk. I hope things are getting easier for Samantha. I wish I knew what to expect. Maybe you could clue me in, I would really appreciate it. When ZenXiao (ChunXiao to Sam) comes home we will stay in touch. I would make a road trip your way for them to see each other. My girls LOVE hotel rooms. Im not sure why, its scary. I would love for them to see each other. If not we live 5 minutes from OceanCity Maryland. I dont know if you ever vacation here but if you do we could see you guys then. Please drop me a note when yo have time about Yuping. Love Kelli
Welcome home friend…sweet dreams:)
Hi Jonni, I am leaving on October 30th, I got the magic call today! Yeah! You can tell Yuping that ChunXiao is coming home soon!
Congrats on becoming a family of 4! That is so exciting. Hopefully we will get to meet your adorable girls soon.
WELCOME HOME!!! I got chills reading your posts and watching the video! I'm so happy for you all!!!
happy birthday sofia!!!!
from cecelia, her mom and her dad
Hi Jonni, I hope everything is going well and Yuping is adjusting to her new family. Im sure you are tierd and jetlagged. I wanted to know if you ever made it to the orphanage. It didnt sound like it but I thought there might be a chance you got to go. I hope your girls are bringing you much joy!
Glad you're all home safely. Happy Birthday Sofia! Hope you enjoy your first birthday with your sister Samantha by your side! Can't wait to meet Samantha. Roberta, Jim and Helaina
Welcome to the USA Sammy!
Hope the Jet lag isnt to bad for you all….
sue
Welcome home! Happy your all home. Can't wait for unpates and photos. I can wait for that though take time and enjoy your beautiful family!
Hugs,
Michele
welcome home all of you!!! when I get back I'm going to get caught up with your wonderful adventures. I'll be needing this sweet happy time of yours!!! Congratulations!!!!
Welcome home!!!!!!!!!!!
So glad you are home. we will have to "talk" when you are sttled. Love to "visit" with fellow NYers…. And another precious child has a forever family!!!!!!
Welcome Home! The photos you posted are so adorable! What fun to have them in their sisterly outfits. I especially love the one of Sofia making Samantha laugh. All the best, Dale
Glad you made it home! Can't believe your trip went so quickly!!
Welcome Home!!! I love that picture of you and your two girls, so beautiful. Happy for your family
Hugs
Jennifer
Welcome home Sergi family, catch up on your ZZZ, then of course we want more pictures, LOL!!!
Hugs..
I cant wait to see some more pictures of the girls together. They are so incredibly cute. I hope all is well. Looking forward to your next post! Kelli
Welcome home!!!!
Welcome home!
Welcome Home! So happy for you all. Sleep, sleep, sleep whenever you can. Hugs all around and congrats again!
Welcome Home!!! I'm so happy for your family. I can't wait to see photos (once you recover from jet lag)!
Beth 
Welcome home Sergi family of 4!!
Hugs,
Carla
We are excited to be on our way home tomorrow. Honestly, we were more excited to leave last time we were in China just because we were so tired and first-time parents. This time was much easier for us since we are already use to the routine. Samantha is coming out of her shell more…
Jonni, TA TA TA TA TA I got it. I dont know the CA date yet. After the holiday I will get it but I got my TA today! Im going to china!
Can't believe your on your home home soon!!
We found that our second trip was more relaxing too, knew what to expect.
Looking forward to more pics, just finished watching family day video again, it is soooo beautiful..
Safe Travel, cant wait to chat!
Sue
Welcome Home Sam!
Happy travels Guys!
Travel well. I am glad you are on your way home. I take it you guys dont do chinese food?
Have a great trip home!!! Can't wait to see more photos of the girls together safely at home!
Amy
Im sorry I cant stop calling her Yuping. Ive known her by that name for so long it is hard to change. I promise I will get better at it. I cant wait until ZenXiao is home and I can tell her that Yuping has a wonderful family and show her pictures on your blog!
I will be waiting for those pictures! I am so glad that Yuping is coming around. She knows how much you guys love her and she is starting to feel safe. It will be great to get her home and start your new life as a family of 4.
Been following all along Jonni! I am sooo happy for all of you! Can't wait to have you back and to see more pics!
Hugs, Jill
So happy to have shared your journey through your blog postings. Watching Sofia greet & hug her sister Samantha for the first time is the most touching sight. Safe travels home sweet Jonni.
Maureen
I am so excited for you. They each now have a sister (something I always wanted, but never had).
I wanted to let you know that we got our LOA today–after 132 days of waiting. Now the wait for travel approval starts.
Joy
Glad you are on the home-stretch……….whew what a trip. Happy to hear all is well. Can't wait for more pictures.
Yeahhh! Y'all are coming home! So happy to hear that Samantha is starting to trust John, also! Happy Father's Day John! =) I am so happy that you were able to experience such a wonderful time there in China. You will have so much to show and share with both of the girls as they get older! Safe travels home!
Love, Amy
We made it to Guangzhou last Friday and checked into the Garden Hotel Guangzhou. It is wonderful and the A/C works so we are thrilled! We went to the Guangzhou Zoo yesterday with the other 7 families in our travel group and had a very nice time. We also had lunch at a nice Chinese…
John & Johnni, the girls are so beautiful and it looks like in the last photo they get along well. Hope all goes well! I'm sure it will!
Rebecca Kullmann
SO happy to see some pictures. Beautiful!
Hey – thinking about you guys! By the way, that last picture? Love that smile on Sam!!
Hugs,
Carla
Beautiful photos! I just found your blog and it's fast becoming a favorite.
I'm mom to virtual twin girls from China too. We stayed at the Garden hotel for our first adoption. Room service makes the BEST tuna sandwich!
Sam looks kinda shell shocked — which is understandable. When I look back at our photos, our 2nd daughter had exactly the same expression on her face for the first two weeks. But she's all smiles now!
Donna
Our blog: Double Happiness!
The girls are just beautiful!!
LOVE the video & pics!!!! So happy for you & your family!!
I can honestly say I have never seen anything more precious than watching Sofia love on her new sissy. Beautiful…simply beautiful! Congratulations my sweet friend..I am so excited for you guys!!! HUGS, stacy
hi jonni, john, sofia, and samantha…
calry, cecelia,meilyn, and i are enjoying your pictures…
the girls are so excited to see sofia in china and to meet her sister in pictures!
we will see you on thursday!!!
from carly – i love your other little girl!
from cecelia = i want you to come home and come to my house – i love you
from meilyn – come to my house when you come home
love, norie
For Sam & Sofia, Mommy and I were looking at your pictures today!!!!! I told her "Look, two of them are gorgeous". "Sofia, I like yours new sister! Hope we can play soon!"
Meilyn
Just precious Jonni! What an adorable gotcha moment, Sofia was so grown up & loving! Deb
Jonni,
The pictures are adorable, I was so excited to see Sam and Sophia together. What a special bond they will have. Jadyn remembers Sam and say something in Chinese when she looks at her picture. So cute!
Sue
Thanks for sharing your Gotcha
Day. It has seriously made me
think of rushing to get Allie
ready to go. Your family is
beautiful and I'm so thrilled
for you sweetie!!!
Many Hugs,
Sindy
Oh Jonni, I just loved Sophia's reaction. Samantha is just so beautiful. Congratulations.
Oh Jonni,
They are so beautiful together. I can tell that they are going to be wonderful sisters. I am so happy for you.
Joy
She fits perfectly in. I am glad that you got photos up. They make my heart happy.
Oh my gosh, your daughters are beautiful. And Samantha is smiling in a couple of the photos – love it! So glad you can blog and post now since its been killing me. Joe and my dad are SO ready to come home. Joseph is having night terrors poor little guy. See you on Thursday!!!
How sweet, as I wipe the tears from my eyes, Samantha is beautiful! Thank you for sharing your special day with us! Your daughters are beautiful
Oh, your video made me cry! I love that Sophia went right up to her and hugged her new sister. Both of your girls are just beautiful, Jonni! Looking forward to more updates.
What beautys- nice that you are in GZ. One step closer to home !!
PICTURES!! And SO worth the wait… Samantha is SO beautiful… your girls are so precious together!!
YAY!!!
Congrats on your new daughter! I am enjoying reading your posts as they are helping me to prepare for our trip in just a few weeks. Our daughter, Kaci, is also waiting for us at the Yangzhou SWI in Jiangsu.
I pray that Samantha's adjustment will improve daily as she comes to know and love her new family!
Blessings,
Dorothy
Oh what beautiful girls! Jonni, you are glowing! I wish I could see John as I am sure he is just a proud as you! Two BEAUTIFUL girls!! Thank you for sharing a peek into your family day! It brought back so many memories of getting my children. Safe travels and can't wait till y'all get home! God bless!
Love, Amy
Thanks for sharing such a special moment. I just love the last photo of the girls in red, you can see Samantha coming out of her shell. What sweet little girls you have. Enjoy!
Blessings,
lyndsey
Oh what a wonderful post. It brought back memories of 6 months ago when we were there. How wonderful your girls are. Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Okay, I'm back. I just read the last four posts and I can't stop crying. I'm so happy for you guys. And whatever the transition looks like, however it plays out, just know that I'm praying for you guys and especially for that sweet little Sammie. What a beautiful opportunity you guys have to shower her with love, affection, and permanence.
Building that trust and pouring into her the promise that her life holds in Christ is such an honor – I've no doubt that HE chose you and will equip you to overcome whatever she must deal with to move forward. And with whatever she faces from here on. I wish I could be there to hug you in person. Believe me, if I still lived in NY, I'd be camped on your doorstep with a meal or two for your freezer and some serious happy tears
i am in tears jonni…
love, norie
oh Jonni, I just watched the video, thank you for sharing such a beautiful moment with us!!It just brought me to tears, such a moving moment to watch, both your daughters hugging with Mom and Dad looking on!!
So happy for you, sending hugs..
LOVE IT! We have that shirt – so pretty I'm just soaking in all the yummy goodness of these posts and LOVING IT ALL! Crying tears of joy for you. Again
I am so relieved and happy to see you all together. Sofia was wonderful with Samantha. In the picture where Samantha smiled, she was radiant. We love her so much already- can't wait to hold her. Be safe and be home soon.
with congratulations and much love, Mea
Hi Jonni, we met at the Dragonboat festival in Caz.
I have been following along. The girls look beautiful together!
Enjoy the rest of your stay in Gz. Safe travels home. Hope to see you at the Lantern Festival.
Lisa Roswick
Congratulations! Your girls are just beautiful together. We have meet at FCC events and we have too adopted an older child. My daughters are also close in age, they are 43 days apart. They are the best of friends even though they have totally different personalities. When we adopted Mali she was 3 1/2 and she would not go to my husband at all. In the hotel room she would let him play with her a little but once we left the hotel room she wanted nothing to do with him. Now she is totally a daddies girl. So hopefully this is also the case with Samantha. I hope you have a safe journey home.
just brilliant Jonni…love the photos!
Thanks for sharing your special moments! LOVE how sweet Sofia was by hugging her sister when she met her!! Now you're in the home stretch and you'll be home soon. That's when the real fun starts!! Congrats to you all. Roberta
Love it and they are both just so beautiful!!! And you look so blissfully happy!!!
God bless all of you.
Love, Kristy
YAY! We finally leave for Guangzhou today. After sweating for the past 6 nights we can’t wait to get to GZ. Nanjing is beautful and we had a nice time here. We toured a beautiful private garden yesterday and Nanjing is one of the few cities with private gardens because we have been told this…
Aw Jonni, a family of four at last. Your daughters are beautiful! I had tears of joy for you seeing their pics, but the video has me positively bawling! I'm so happy for you and your husband! May you have a safe journey home and an easy adjustment for Samantha!
Hi Jonni, She is so precious and so is Sofia. She is so sweet to welcome her sister with a hug. What an instant family made in heaven. I saw the little bracelett on her arm and it looked like the bracelett I sent to ZenXiao. I was hoping she gave it to her. Anything to feel a little closer to my girl. Just seeing the bracelett in China would make me happy! You have truly been blessed in every way.
I can't wait to see pictures . Samantha will soon learn how much she is loved and her layers will soon start peeling off. You both are such great parents, God will work all of this out.
Love and blessings, Kristy
YIKES about the choking but glad Sofia is okay. E only wanted to be carried and would not walk for the entire 13 days I had her in China. It's so hard when they're older but so worth it as you already know. Can't wait to see pics. Safe travels to GZ
Sending big hugs!!! Sorry I haven't been here for you! I just started a part time job..but it's ending up being fulltime…they need help and they like me, so I get more and more hours, which leaves me less and less time!!! I'm so happy for you!!!! Samantha will come around, she has the best family after all……Love you!!! Have a great time!!!!! We are thinking of you!!!
Thinking about you !
Hey Jonni,
just wanted to check in on you. First, CONGRATULATIONS on becoming a family of four!!!!
Second, I know it's rough right now for all of you – I'll keep you in my prayers. It WILL get SO much better:)))
Love you!
Nikki
Hi Jonni, I have had seperation anxiety from your blog for 3 days! My computer went down while I was traveling. It was hard for me to read about YuPing's transition. She is just holding on to you because children live from their mothers energy and she knows you are her mother. She will trust your husband when she sees that you do. She has had very little exposure to men of any. She doesnt understand this is forever and maybe she is scared you will take her back at some point. Once you get home you will have to wild little girls running through the house like maniacs! Just remember that she is feeding off your energy so let that positive chi flow girl!!!! Buena Suerte!
Thinking of you! I have a feeling once you all are home things will change with Samantha. I am sure this is a very confusing time for her but she will be okay. With you, John and Sofia how could she not! You are a wonderful family and she will fit in perfectly Poor Sofia or should I say poor moommy! I think I better learn the heimlich, so scary for all of you.
Know that we are thinking and praying for you all and can't wait to see some pics!
Take care and be safe!
Hugs,
Michele
Jonni,
I just cany wait to see pictures of Sam, I'm eager to see if Jadyn remembers her, Im sure she will. Im sorry to hear about Sofia's bacon mis-hap. Yikes, Im glad you were able to help her. You will have so much fun in GZ, but you already know that! enjoy
Sue
hey jonni..hope the flight was good one…hang in there…adopting an older child is "another ballgame"…but you can do it!!! and she will be fine..you and john are wonderful parents!..never doubt your ability to help her heal her hurts…
can't wait to see you all at home soon!!
love, norie
I am so excited to see your pictures. Thanks for your kind comment on RQ about my daughter's birthday. I think we will be in Nanjing too because our daughter is in Changzhou which is in Jiangsu province.
Joy
Jonni,
To read your post brought me to
tears, because I know this is a
tough time for you guys. But to
know what a wonderful mother
you are, she will come to love
you all just like Sofia did. I
thank you for posting the not
so rosey parts as this is what
I feel is going to happen when
we meet Katherine as she is so
tight with her caregivers.
Love & Hugs to you All!!!
Sindy In AZ
Hey Sergi Fam of 4!! So good to hear from you. Hopefully this post will take – it doesn't appear my others have.
We miss you and can't wait to see you at the airport. I'm so glad you are finally in GZ with my 3 guys. You can give me the real scoop.
You have the right approach – continue to love Samantha and eventually all will fall into place. (ha, easier said than done as I understand the Lore fam will need lots of patience too).
Safe travels & see you soon.
Hugs, Erin
Thinking of you all. I am glad that you are allowing your daughter the room to come to this relationship on her own terms.
Make sure your kid chews! That scared me too.
Sending good thoughts and prayers across the miles to you all. Thank goodness you knew exactly what to do with Sofia when she was choking – you'll have to teach me some time! I would think that the language barrier with Samantha has to be tough, maybe contributing to some issues. One of my dear friends always tells me that everything happens for a reason. Stay strong – your family of four will be HOME in a week! Roberta
Beautiful. Sad. For the short time I have known you, you will be able to do this with Samantha. My heart goes out to you, John and Sofia. I believe that Samantha was placed with you for a reason. God does not give you anything more than what He knows you can handle. The trust that the three of you have started with Sam will only get stronger as you bring her HOME and start a daily 'routine'. Praying for you all!
MARY - Your story is one of the best I’ve heard all year! It is so precious that I cried. You are such kind and loving people to open your hearts to such beautiful girls.
May God Bless your family!
Robin - Jonni,
That was beautiful! I was speechless by the end. You and John have come a long way with those two beautiful girls and are both amazing parents. I was blessed to be with you and John during your first journey to China and after this video it made me feel like I was there with you again…..God Bless you and your family.
love to all of you
Robin
Ivy Shaffer - Jonni,
What a beautfiul video. I had tears in my eyes watching your journey. What a precious keepsake for both of your girls.
A year sure does make a difference! They’ve both grown even more beautiful:))
Just love what you did, plus it was nice to sort of meet you LOL. We do have to get the girls together one day!!!
xoxo
Ivy
Erin Lore - You are one creative, Super-Woman! I feel like I was there. Thanks for sharing!! Erin
Carla - Thank you Jonni! What a wonderful video.
Love ya!
Carla
Tracy Wood - Awwwwww…..I have no more tears left!!!! That was a beautiful story (I had to pause several time to wipe away my tears). Words cannot express how happy I am for you, John and your beautiful, perfect, sweetest girls!!!! God’s plan is evident everytime I see the pictures of your amazing family.
Love Ya’ll : )
Tracy