April, 2009

Miss Katie Bug is WALKING!!

Yup, she finally got up the nerve to just do it! Yesterday morning she was walking along side the couch holding on with one hand, and she just let go. She took about three steps before holding on again.  She did that twice. Then last evening she was standing beside me and I pointed to something across the room, and she just took off. She made it about 5 feet before falling. A few minutes later she did it again. She has repeated this a few times today, but, of course, never when we had the camara! :)

Well, it's actually a little over a month since Katie's Gotcha day and a little under a month since we're home so I thought I would split the difference. :)

Few things have actually just happened over the last few days that tell me we have reached a new level with Katie. Yesterday for the first time since she has been with us, Katie actually cried when hurt! For those who don't know anything about adoption and institutionalized children, this is a huge thing! Before yesterday, she would never do more then whimper and rub the area with her hand. Crying means she now realizes that there is a REASON to cry... someone cares that she is hurt, someone will respond. My baby is starting to get it... she has a Momma now, and Momma cares! Even better then the crying is that yesterday for the very first time she LET me comfort her!!! Didn't ask for comfort (that's the next step), but she finally allowed it!! Thank you God!

The other thing that happened yesterday is that for the first time I got her to take a step. She would only do one at a time and it was more often a falling step, but she trusted me enough to catch her when she fell to try as she stepped into my arms. And, speaking of trust, she is starting to reach for Brian to pick her up too! WooHoo! :)

Then today we had another breakthrough. She woke up from her nap and played happily in her crib for 5 minutes until I got to her. Previously, as soon as she woke up the screaming started until Momma picked her up.

Little by little our girl is learning what having a family means! So exciting! Next month, May 11th to be exact, we will be taking her to see the craniofacial team.  I'm excited to hear what they have to say and get a general idea how our treatment plan will change since she doesn't have a full cleft palate.

In other family news.... Momma is potty training Evan. Normally I would wait a few more months, but dude is outgrowing all his pants! Those cloth diapers take up more room then underwear. :) We're taking the day off today, little dude is sick with a temp of 102. Poor guy! :(

Once upon a time, there were three bandanas who set out to make their way in the wide world. As it so happened they were bought by the same woman who took them home to her three children.

The pink bandana was given to the youngest child who used it to play peek-a-boo.

The purple bandana was given to the eldest child who used it to carry her "baby", Sleepy Puppy, on her back just like Momma carries baby Katie.

The blue bandana was given to the son who used it as his cape while he flew around the room as SUPER EVAN!!

And they all lived happily ever after!

Can it be? Have two whole years passed since I first held my precious little boy? Yet it also feels like my Evan has always been in my life! It has been wonderful to watch him grow and mature over the last two years from that scared, anxious little baby into the kindhearted, sensitive little guy he is today. What is funny is that I was once very hesitant to have a son, not because I think boys are bad, just because I didn't think I would be a good "boy Momma". I still don't know if I'm a good "boy Momma", but I can say that Evan is the best son a mother could ever ask for!

So in honor of you, Evan, and the 2nd anniversary of your joining it, here are two wonderful things you add to our family.

1.) You have the biggest, most sensitive heart. You love your sisters and parents deeply. You are the one who thinks of others and shares things you really want. You're the one who is always asking "Me help?" and even jumping in without being asked!

2.) You are one loyal little guy! You stand by your sisters (your best friends) in the face of danger. You never miss a chance to run to Momma screaming "You're HOME!!!" and give me great big hugs! Once you love someone, they always have your love.  You love your "Wee-Wo" with all the love a little guy can give his lovey.

My sweet little boy, you make Momma so proud! I pray you never loss your sensitivity, your generous spirit, or your big smile. I love you with all my heart!

Love, Momma

Here are a few pictures of my boy. First, from 2 years ago today. Then one of my all time favs of him from last fall. And then from this month.

WooHoo! The great State of Tennessee recognizes that Kathleen Emma Xinxin has been adopted by Brian and Danielle, and that that adoption was full and final in the country of China.

Yes, this morning we appeared before the honorable judge who signed the degree saying it is so, and now we have the paperwork to prove it! :)

Some pictures from our Easter egg hunt and lunch. The big kids really had this figured out this year! "Candies!!" as Evan would say!

I know Katie was smart, but I think it just hit me HOW quickly she is picking things up this AM. Now I realize this isn't a big deal for a lot of 16 month olds out there, but they didn't switch languages 3 weeks ago! And, honestly, I've never had the pleasure of a child who was an early language learner! So what happened, you ask?

Well, Miss K-K, knows the sign for "more" and will use it appropriately without promoting.  This morning she was sort of playing with her eggs and pushing them away so I asked her "more?" while also signing. She looked at me thoughtfully, then signed more and pointed over her shoulder at the cabinet over the fridge. While is where the cheerios are kept. I grabbed the box and held it toward her and her face lite up and she was all happy! Hey, this Momma can play charades kiddo! :)

When Katie came to us she was finishing cutting two of her first molars. She seemed to be doing well with it, but they were mostly in. She now has 3 of the 4 in. She has been rather grumpy (for her) over the last few days and today I confirmed a suspicion. Poor baby is cutting TWO of her eye teeth right now. OUCH! This will bring her grand total of teeth up to 12. Which is a good thing for carnivorous babies like Miss K-K!  :)

WOW. That's all I can say about this powerful poem writen by Dorothy of Urban Servant.

What can I teach you about being Black?
Not much,
Because I'm not.
But a I can teach you about pain,
And how to forgive peoples foolish words.
I can show you how to endure suffering,
So that through it Truth will be proclaimed.
I can love you and cry with you,
I can be the she-bear when you are threatened.
We can live where there is a rainbow of people,
and we can learn to love them together.
We can seek out the truth of history,
And not be afraid of the ugliness.
I can open your heart and your eyes
To the painful reality that comes
clinging to the back of sin.

And in the end,
I can release you into your destiny,
And wait for you to come home,
With a fuller understanding of who you are
and what you are to be in your life.
Then I can listen as you teach me,
What it means to be Black.

I'm so glad I got them matching Chinese outfits.

Well, here we are home for one week and three days. We've had Katie for three weeks today. Brian is back at work full time today as well.

Wow, time flies! It does NOT seem like we have had Katie three weeks. It DOES feel like we have been home a week. We're still working on a routine or at least expanding the one we have. I feel pretty comfortable with the basics... how to get everyone up, dressed, feed, down for nap, down for bed, etc. I *think* I'm getting the hang of keeping up with the basic house stuff... laundry and dishes. But I'm not sure about the rest of the house upkeep, to say nothing of the yard!  I also have to figure out how to do preschool with Miriam since Katie doesn't want me to pay too much attention to her siblings.

Sleep is going better. Katie is sleeping from 9 to around 1:30-2 AM. Then she needs help getting back to sleep... mainly she wants to sleep with me! Some nights I get her back in the crib and some nights I can't. She will then sleep until 7-8 AM. She also takes a 2-2.5 hour nap each afternoon.

On the health front, things are better. My stomach is finally better. I have fought off a sinus infection/ear ache. Katie has a mild cold, but it isn't too bad. She is also cutting teeth. We are no longer having blow out diaper issues since I took her off lactose formula and put her on lactose-free milk! Now we have nice formed stools. :) We went to the pediatrician on Friday. Poor Katie got two shots, two pokes for lab work (and we need to go back for more), plus a poke for the PPD. She was NOT a happy camper.  On the good side, Dr. Meg thought everything looked great. We will be referred to see the cleft specialist, but Dr. Meg did of course take a look at her mouth. She thought that the tiny cleft might still be technically considered a cleft palate, but agreed that it didn't go beyond the gum area. We do have reason to believe that it is open into the nose as the other day Katie managed to blow milk out of her nose on that side. Guess will wait for the experts verdict. :)

Katie is doing well. She is now crawling quickly and cruising along anything solid. She will also walk holding onto one hand. She can stand for about 30 seconds on her own. I think we're getting close to walking in the next few weeks. I can tell her language skills are growing even though all we can understand is "Mama", "dada/baba", "hi", and "bye".  If I ask her if she wants a drink, she looks at her cup so receptive language is coming along. She can sign "more" and "drink"... we're working on a few others. This morning I was trying to see if she would mimic sounds (she will "la") and say "go". I got her to say "g". She is also good at using pointing and facial expressions to communicate. Although she is small after being around her a bit it is obvious that she is a 16 month old intellectually. She's still a ham when in a good mood.

Speaking of good moods. Those have been a bit fewer over the last few days. The child who has had the hardest time adjusting to the new addition has actually been the new addition! I think she feels like she got a bait and switch. In China, she was the center of everything. Here, I have a house to take care of and two other children who think that my world revolves around them. Poor Katie has a hard time sharing Momma. Sunday morning while I did Miriam's hair for church and got both older children ready, Katie screamed the whole time. It didn't matter if Daddy held her. It didn't matter if she was standing right beside me holding onto my knee. If I was not holding her on my lap using at least one hand, she was screaming. It was a long 45 minutes while I did Miriam's hair! She was actually mad at me by the time it was over. The good thing about that is it made Daddy seem a little less like chopped liver! :)

The other good thing is that the children are starting to gel as a sibling pack. More and more the two amigos are becoming the three musketeers. It's fun to watch that happen. And I tell you, the day is coming when I pity the fool that picks on one of them! This is going to be a fun ride I think! More pictures coming soon!

Some of you may remember that we were a little worried about Evan's speak in the past. He has definitely been a late bloomer in the speak department. He had been making slow but steady progress since the EI evaluation, but still was not talking that much. Well, while I was in China, my boy found his voice! He talk, talk, talks now.  I understand 90% of it and he is using 3-4 word sentences (finally!). He will FINALLY mimic new words and is really expressing ideas not just "naming" things. He has trouble with "L" and "R" which makes for some fun words. I love listening to him call for Leo, his lovey. He calls him "Wee-woah". And Snoopy, the dog, is "Snoo-fee". Oh, and we will not be giving him any reason to say "fork" in public... yup, it comes out sounding like the F-bomb. :)

Yay!!! We actually got a little sleep last night! Katie slept from 9-1:30, awake 20 minutes and then slept until just after 7AM. Ah... much better! Now if I can just shake this stomach thing....