She Knows all her ABC SOUNDS!

Three weeks home from China with my 3.5 year old, I decided to practice what I preach in my preschool... put your kid in front of Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD for two weeks straight, and your kid can learn all their ABC's and sounds.

Well, this is true for normally developing children, children who speak English as a second language, and even for delayed children (children who don't seem to remember ANYTHING I teach them). But, would it work on my daughter who has been currently diagnosed with severe cerebellar atrophy.

RESULTS: After watching the DVD every day for 2 1/2 weeks... only being home from China for 3 weeks, Gabriella knows all but 3 sounds. She does not yet seem to know the names of the letters.

If I show her the capital letter on a flashcard (or say it), she can make the correct sound for all the letters except "Dd", sometimes "Jj" and sometimes "Vv". Not sure why those sounds are not cemented into her brain.

If I could change Leap Frog Letter Factory, I would have Tad teach the lowercase letters... because that's what the kids see when they read books. Other than that, it's a phenomenal tool.

We Found MULAN!

We are very excited to say that God has granted us our request. Since we started our adoption process May 1, 2009, we have prayed that if our daughter ever has a foster sibling or crib mate, that our daughter would always know who he/she is and that his/her family would be a Christian family that loves and honors our Lord.

We are excited to announce, that God has answered our prayers. Gabriella's foster sister, Mulan, was matched with her forever family in March 2010. She was actually adopted the week before Gabriella was to a Christian family in Canada.

I had the great privilege of speaking with Kelly and Tom on the phone August 28, 2010. We are very excited to be able to let the girls grow up knowing each other. For now, we are going to try to use SKYPE. Both girls are very excited to kiss each other's pictures when they see each other on the computer.

At 3 1/2, that's impressive their special bond.

Shopping for Our Quilt Pieces

Tonight we shopped for our quilt pieces... I don't think it's a special day... it just so happened that everyone was home tonight.

We looked for our 100% cotton pieces of fabric (half of us chose 100% cotton felt pieces... but, had to return them and find the correct fabric) that represented us.

It was interesting to see the choices that the kids and Jason made. It was a fun family experience. We hope to get 100 squares from our friends and adoption acquaintances, so that we could create a memory for our little princess. We got 9x9 squares... just to make sure we had enough fabric.

Grandma Pirate is going to put the quilt together next spring when she returns from her trip on her pirate ship with Grandpa Pirate.

So, get your quilt piece to us soon. We are counting on it. It takes A LOT of quilt pieces to get to 100.

Sympathetic Mei Mei

My daughter continually amazes me. Today one of her brothers was crying... hysterically... because he misses Grandma. Grandma suddenly passed away June 26, 2010... and, he had lived with her. Since then, he has joined our family and become one of 3 gu gu's in the house.

Mei Mei and I sat on his bed while crocodile tears poured out of his little 12 year old eyes. I was rubbing his arm. Mei Mei was rubbing his arm too. She watched him intently... not moving... not even a little bit.

Her heart was his. She shared her panda bear with him and continued to pat or rub his arm... for minutes. We sat for 45 minutes with gu gu as he cried and shared with us his thoughts and feelings.

It was precious to see that she could be so attentive and alert to him.

Later, I found the golden retriever on the bed with gu gu. That's totally not okay though. There has got to be a line drawn about which family members are allowed on the bed. Furry ones must be excluded!

Went Through the Drive Thru

Yesterday I went through the drive thru without telling Gabriella what I was doing. I probably wasn't making the best choice either, because she had just told me she had to go potty. But, I have been trying to distract her this last week, since I learned that her need to go potty is not related to a urine infection. It is however related to two other things: total access to fresh water at all times and the opportunity to control her mama by asking to go potty (EVERY 15 minutes).

Anyway, that's not what this post is about.

I went through the drive thru and ordered a mocha. After being handed my mocha, I started to drive away. In the back I heard, "coffee... mama's coffee?"

I just had to smile. Boy, this girl has no idea. If I remember correctly, "Starbucks" was her third or fourth English word she learned. Those that know me, would believe it!

The Words She Now Knows

The initial findings on Gabriella's MRI have caused her doctor to be concerned that she will struggle with gaining language, that she will probably be ADHD, and that school will be a challenge.

I have to smile because she came to us on Gotcha Day, opened up her photo album and pointed to each of us and called us by name: "Mama, Baba, Jie Jie, and Gu Gu." By the grace of God, and truly another miracle, she has absolutely understood everything we have ever said to her. It is almost like she was a little Chinese princess (or empress) learning only English.

By the end of the two weeks in China, we were convinced that not a single word we spoke was missed. We are still convinced.

By her first week in America, she was repeating EVERYTHING we said, and she could say many words: potty, bottle, nigh nigh, so so pretty, wo ai ni (I love you), shoes, Starbucks, coffee, juice,

She also could point to and name her body parts: ears, nose (nosey), mouth (mouthy), toes (toesy), and eyes.

By the second week, she could also close her eyes if asked, wiggle her toes, raise her arms when you said, arms up/arms down, etc. She also knew what her foot, knee, belly button, head, hair, and legs were.

This week, thanks to Leap Frog's Letter Factory DVD, she knows the Aa says a and the Bb says b. She also repeats most of the motions and sounds to all the letters of the alphabet, but I think her favorite letter is Nn because they say "no"... which actually isn't a word she currently says... but, she sure does shake her head "no" when you ask her if she wants to go "nigh, nigh."

The first DVD of Your Baby Can Read has also helped Gabriella. She has learned to clap, wave, say elephant and tiger, and many other things.

The Words She Came With

We have been home with Gabriella about 3 1/2 weeks. And, I was just thinking the other day of the words she came with: Mama (Mommy), Baba (daddy), Jie Jie (sister), Gu Gu (brother), Gou, Gou (dog), Mao (cat), Baula (full), Niao Niao (potty), and xie xie (thank you).

Not sure if I got these correct... and, I have no idea how to put the marking on the words; but, as you can see, she had an extremely limited vocabulary... even in Chinese... at 3.5 years old.

Her receptive language seemed very good though. She understood what all the doctors and nurses requested of her when she had to be checked prior to leaving China. She knew where her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and hands and legs were. She also lifted her legs when asked. She cried when the nurses told her what they were going to do... give her an immunization in 3 of her 4 extremities.

What's amazing, even miraculous, is what she has learned since Gotcha Day!

Tyanna Turns 16 and the WHOLE World Can Now Know!

Monday, August 16th was a very special day in our home! Tyanna celebrated her 16th birthday and invited her friends to our home.

The whole world can now know about her baby sister.

Tyanna wanted to keep her sister a surprise. She had secretly hoped that Gabriella would arrive during basketball season and she would just be able to bring her onto the court, but that didn't happen. So, she waited until it could.

With Gabriella's arrival home on July 31, 2010, Tyanna began figuring out when she could get the majority of her girlfriends to our home.

The girls started at the local ice skating rink, stopped for slurpees, and then came home and ate some hamburgers, chips and watermelon. Tyanna prepared her life video (birth to her family 16th party) for her friends to watch... and, at the very end, she added some words about the gift her parents gave her for her 16th birthday. (Of course, the truth is, if you read in one of the earliest posts, Tyanna had known for 16 years that God had two sisters for her). She ended her video with pictures of mama, baba, and mei mei and then pictures of her and Gabriella.

Before the video ended, baba brought in mei mei in her red Chinese outfit and holding a ladybug balloon.

First Doctor's Visit

By the grace of God and my good friend Cheri, we were able to get an appointment with the leading adoption medicine doctor in our area. Our doctor was absolutely amazing and I am so grateful that she will be caring for Gabriella.

Somehow we almost missed our appointment. I had written the day down wrong on the calendar AND I missed the reminder phone call. Fortunately, they called my husband 45 minutes before our appointment. He tried to call me but my phone was temporarily misplaced. So, he was smart enough to call our daughter, who woke us up from our nap.

We were a few minutes late, but we were still given our whole hour.

A sedation MRI, from head to spine, was ordered. Cheri's bill for her son was $10,000 for that procedure. I am wondering what kind of deal I will get and whether or not she will get a referral bonus? :)

Good Morning Sunshine!

I love to get little Mei Mei up in the morning because she wakes up as though the sun does... with a beautiful, contagious smile. It's as though the joy of the Lord is written all over her face.

She doesn't know who Jesus is yet, but someday, that joy will radiate because she has His love in her heart.

It's so easy to say each morning, "Good morning sunshine!"

Guilty... Found in the Cupboard!

While Baba was working in the kitchen tonight, I was conversing with Gu Gu Kai's girlfriend in the other room. I stopped though when I heard some rustling. I knew Baba was walking back and forth to the garage... because he was on an organizing mission.

So, what was all the rustling?

Princess Mei Mei was in the cupboard with her hands in a bag of bread. I caught her red-handed... pulling a piece of bread out, taking a bite of it, and putting it back away. I told her she needed to put the bread away.

I then walked away because she was closing the cupboard door. I wanted to see what she would do. Within seconds, the dogs had joined her and she was back in the cupboard sharing her loot. Boy those dogs really love her!

Her Head Nods the OTHER Way!

We have been together for 3 weeks now. It truly has been so incredible to be part of a family that God knit together with a tiny red thread... thousands of miles a part... from east to west.

When we first met our little Princess Mei Mei, her head only nodded in one direction... the typical direction of a toddler. We had to teach her that her head can actually nod up and down as well.

As she has learned to nod her head in the other direction, we often find ourselves smiling (from the inside out), because it takes so much concentration for her to move her head in the "Yes" direction.

It's a new skill that our little one is learning. What a joy to help her along her journey!

A Moment of Reflection... Home for 6 days

I can't believe we have already been home for 6 days. It seems like we were in China months ago. While we were in China, it seemed like we had been there for a month. I don't understand why time tricks us this way.

China is such a beautiful country. When we flew to Guilin, it was probably some of the most magnificent land to fly over. The hills, rocks, even the way God designed the water to flow... everything was so beautiful, so rich.

Seeing this beauty, it makes me wonder even more, what Heaven is like.

The people of China were so very kind, curious, and always readily available to give a "thumbs up!" Have you ever thought how encouraging it is to get the "thumbs up" several times a day. Where else can you get this but China.

One sweet lady said to me while at McDonalds, "Your baby is so lucky. I know though that you will say, You're the lucky ones." That was for sure. We are the lucky ones. Not because of luck though; but because God supernaturally orchestrated the coming together of this precious little child into our lives.

One thing that made China stand out in such a professional way was their uniforms. Everyone seemed to have a special uniform for their job. They wore them proudly and they did their jobs with excellence. Regardless of the heat or the 95% humidity, they wore their suits or uniforms with class.

Another thing I remember about China is how clean it is. There are more than a billion people there, but when you walk into their cities (we were in Nanning, Guilin, and Guangzhou), they had people in uniforms sweeping, picking up trash, etc. There were people EVERYWHERE working to keep the city beautiful. I wish we would do the same in America. How much we take for granted here in this land of opportunity and freedom.

As we left the airport to drive into the city of Guilin, I marveled at the amazing rockery and design the Chinese put into their walls alongside the road. Everything they did seemed to be by wheelbarrow. No shade, little water, probably not a lot of food, little supplies, heavy labor, no gloves... yet they worked with diligence. I never saw anyone look over another's shoulder. It was as though they worked to build their part of the "wall" or their part of China.

I just had little glimpses into the life of those that live in China. A nation of great beauty. A people of great commitment. A people of great strength.

Her Princess Bed is a Miracle!

My husband and I often look at each other and say, "I can't believe she's ours. She's so beautiful. Such a blessing from the Lord."

Our transition home, since Saturday, has been a challenge during the night, because Gabriella and I are still on China time. Thus, we are often up from 3am until 7am.

Our sleeping arrangements weren't working very well, so Mama and Mei Mei went out and got a princess toddler bed. The first night, that bed was a miracle!

Gabriella slept for 11 hours. I got to sleep for 8 hours. It was a much needed sleep. Sleep hadn't really been a part of my routine since Thursday at 5am.

Now, it's one week later. The princess bed works during the day... let's pray it continues to work during the night as well. Thank you Lord for sweet sleep.

The Simple Pleasures in Life!

Tonight we got to see how simple life really needs to be... and, how just a bit of quality time and a hose can bring hysterical laughter and joy for the whole neighborhood to hear.

Gabriella and I watered some of the flowers out in the front yard. Since she is yet to stand or walk (though we are believing we will in time see God's supernatural healing), I decided to put her in her stroller; that way, we could concentrate on looking at each other and holding on to the hose to control the water.

To her great delight, she found that if she put her hand in the water as we sprayed the flowers, it would make both of us wet... really , really wet.

It was a fun way to cool off and help the dogs cool off too. Oh, the simple pleasures in life! There is so much for us to be grateful for!

She's a Faker!

We have an amazingly fun little one. Gabriella has this way with her eyes. She seems incredibly bright and funny. She rolls her eyes and makes funny facial expressions to get a response. Each day we share many, many of these moments with giggles and funny faces.

One of the fun things that she does as she is playing with Baba is pretend to sleep... she will instantly "fall asleep" while interacting with him. She generally stays "asleep" for 3 seconds and then pops her head up and laughs or smiles. We call her our "Little Faker." She is quite a character. I think we will have to try to get this on video in the next couple days.

She has brought so much joy into our lives... and, so quickly. I can't imagine our life without her.

She's Repeating English and Understands Everything!

As you may already know, her first word was "shoes". We can't remember what her second word was. We coaxed her into her third word: "Starbucks"... and, her fourth was "Jesus." Okay... so, priorities might be a little mixed up in the word choices.

Today she copied me and said, "So, so pretty." It was in reference to a beautiful dress she wanted to put on.

She repeats English words so willingly. I love her desire to learn.

She understands everything we say in English... though, we know it is only by the grace of God and how we are communicating, because it would otherwise be impossible for her to know.

She's 3.5 and WHAT SIZE?

The photo above is actually taken ONE YEAR home... 6-9 mo. pants, age 4yr. 6mo.

Our little princess has stopped eating like the books said she would... thank God. She was eating more than Jason and I put together. We never could figure out where she was putting it. But, by the first day home, she was eating like a normal 3 year old.

Now, that being said, she came to us at 25 pounds, so what size should she be?

When I shopped for her, I was surprised to find out that she can wear a 6-9 months on her bottom (as long as they are capris). She wears a 4T on top or as a dress. All of her 4T footed jammies are too small, so, she must wear a 5T.

How could this be?

No More... "She Loves Me Nots!"

The first two days with Gabriella were very quiet. She looked at us, she smiled. She went to either one of us equally. But, the third day, she decided that Baba was everything to her.

We loved to hear her squeal at the top of her lungs "Baba!" as she saw him get his food at the breakfast buffet. It's one of those squeals every parent hopes to hear.

As the days went on, we noticed a clear preference to Baba unless he was out of the room. That's when Mei Mei and I would get our own bonding time.

Now, just two days home, she hugs onto both of us, squeals in delight, looks for just another way to be close to us.

Gabriella is such a sweet, sweet girl and has already brought so much joy to our family.

The first few days, there were times that I felt like I was plucking off the petals to a daisy and saying, "She loves me not, She loves me not, She loves me not" But now, I can say, "She loves me, She clearly, clearly loves me."

Our Consulate Appointment was Today!

Today was our Consulate Appointment (CA). Jason and I showed our passports to the US consulate employee. We sat in a room with about 40 other adopting families. There were several windows. They called each child by their Chinese name and they, and their family, went to the window for Mama or Baba to sign a paper with baby's info. and picture on it.

It's a very fast process. When everyone is done, one of the U.S. Chinese adoption employees shared some fun facts with us. There will be about 3,000 visa's issued this year for adoptions in China. About 57% of those will be children with special needs.

We all stood, held up our right hand, and took an oath that everything we said in our paperwork was true.

The gal congratulated us and then we left. We went "window" shopping today. Which was a real bummer because I found some really cool things; but had no money.

We ate pizza at Pizza Hut with Amy and her son Trevor (17) and daughter Madelyn (6).

We then returned to the hotel by 6pm to pack for our departure home. Oh, how good it is going to be to be finally home.

I am so tired of looking at Chinese food. I know I have shared several times about our food choices, but I am going to share again... duck tongue with ginger, boneless duck feet with ginger, tasty pork trotters, chilled marinated jellyfish with vinegar, roasted crispy pigeon, marinated goose liver with spring onions, double-boiled pork bone with olive and dragon's tongue leaf in soup, steamed loofah with dried whitebait and XO sauce, stewed pork knuckle and sea cucumber with shrimp roe.

Had I stayed away from the plain noodles, fried rice, and steamed buns, I could have lost 20 pounds in the last 14 days.