Return Visit to China

A wonderful opportunity has presented itself for us to return to China, specifically to Lydia's birth city. We will take part in a Heritage Tour during Thanksgiving week, 2008 almost one year after we adopted Lydia into our family. A "windfall" connected with my new position at the University has enabled us to attend this fantastic event. The tour prices were extremely reasonable (airfare, hotel, meals, and activities included!) We leave on Friday, Nov 21st.

So, what are we doing there?? The parent group of Fuling adoptees has orchestrated a Homecoming trip to coincide with the opening of the beautiful new orphanage that has been recently completed. We will do some touring in Beijing, then on to Chongqing, and to Fuling (Lydia's birth city), where we will take part in helping to assist with the move to the new orphanage. We get to help move things, decorate baby rooms, take part in the opening ceremonies, and most importantly give love to babies/children who are without families. I think we even get to carry babies to the new building!

I know that Lydia will not remember this trip, but will know that we felt it was an important event...important enough to return to China just one year later. We also will get a connection with other families that have adopted from Fuling---last year, we were at the orphanage solo, for only one hour. This time, we will be with over 40 families of Fulingers, and be in Fuling for 4 days.

Jason was not excited about the idea initially. I had just happened upon the trip just one month before the registration deadline. With no time to waste, I crunched the numbers, scoured the calendar, and schemed how Lydia and I would get there. With no warning, I just sprung it on him as he poured over an Engineering book---he thought I was joking or crazy. In fact, I had to beg and finally said Lydia and I would go without him. I feel it is such an important part of learning more about her life before us and more importantly, her culture and heritage. When we returned to the US last Dec, I wondered if we would ever go back, as it was so overwhelming and exhausting. But, something is tugging my heart there and the opportunity is unique.

So, what was the final decision? Jason is going (and is now looking forward to a trip), but he only agreed after I suggested we take the boys! That was one factor last year that really put a damper on our trip...being away from our kiddos. So, he perked right up when I put pictures in his mind of him and his boys hiking the Great Wall together! AND, his mom is also going with us for extra support. She loves to travel and is quite adventurous and jumped at the chance to go around the world!

New Blog

The time has come for a new blog! I want this site to remain Lydia's adoption story. So, I've created a new site to post events regarding all of us.

The new site is: http://kemperkidz.blogspot.com

End of Summer

The boys at their first swim meet earlier this summer. Jack was so proud to finally get to do something that Sam does, especially swim team. On the first day of practice, we had not planned to let Jack participate this year because he was only 5 and not really a "swimmer" yet. But on the first day of practice, we said, hey why not? and after talking with the coaches, they felt he would do well.

The first meet was pretty tough. Sam did just as well as he did last summer (even better!) but Jack had to stop on the ropes several times to make it across the pool. He was quite discouraged, but we weren't. Just as Sam had done last summer, I was convinced that he would be swimming the length of the pool after the next two meets. And sure enough, by the third/fourth meet, he was making it across the pool with no problem---even trying the back and butterfly strokes! What a great way to teach kids to swim---they have practice every morning for two hours (6 weeks), and by the end are GREAT swimmers!

Sam had to do his first IM (Individual Medley) this year---all four strokes, meaning four laps down and back. He was crying by the end and I felt so sorry for him! The coaches have to put someone in the event and it was him---but by the end of summer, it was no big deal.

Sam is especially good at the butterfly and Jack excels with the freestyle---you can imagine how they were glued to the swimming events when we watched the summer Olympics :-).

Lydia is prepping for swim team!

Our weekend in St. Louis at the City Museum---what a GREAT place (for kids and adults!)

Lydia in the ball pit with Ben.

Funny New Words

Lydia’s vocabulary grows daily and her articulation is very appropriate for a 21 month old. Her newest words have given me a smile this week. She is starting 2-word combinations, which is great---her clearest are “hat off” with a prolonged “f” at the end, as she removes my hat after a workout; and last night we heard “bug bite” as she tends to be a sweet and tasty morsel for our backyard friends. Just a minute ago, I heard “China” as she matter-of-factly imitated Ben talking about a new magazine we received in the mail. We want her to feel that being Chinese is something to be proud of, so it’s wonderful to hear---that must mean it’s in our vocabulary enough to make its way into hers.

Perhaps the funniest word this past week, “Wii !!!” as she hops around squealing. She has no idea what the Wii is; but she just knows that whatever it is, it brings smiles and joy to the boys when we are at Grandma’s. So, she skips around the house hollering “Wee! Wee…”, content to just say it, and not play it. The Wii is providing much entertainment for the Kemper side of the family and we have a great portrait of Mii people on the system (for those who don’t know, those are the little characters you create of yourself that you play the games with).

Our Mii family is quite funny---I wish I could post them here, but don’t think that’s possible. Jason’s character is a bald old man, with square spectacles (he looks very much like his Grandpa Muenks). My character was created by the boys and looks amazingly like me---except they overdid it a bit with the blue eyeshadow :-) The boys each have characters that look pretty much like them, except “cooler” they say---I guess it’s the spikey hair they added, which we aren’t quite able to achieve with their real hair. Lydia is the only one without a Mii character, but I’m sure she’ll have one soon (when the boys are bored enough to think of creating her).

The TV perishes, but Imagination comes alive!

As many know, we aren’t frequent T.V. watchers. I just am too impatient to sit and watch anything; and basically we don’t have the time to spare, and there is very little worthwhile to watch anyway (however, I do enjoy a bit of “Mythbusters” now and then). So, we are very content to have our very old T.V. (with rabbit ears, as we have no cable) that the kids use to watch videos and DVDs. Even then, I really try to limit how much time they spend watching and it’s always a battle, with me ending up the bad guy. Well, that is no more! The old thing finally gave out and we are not planning to get another one very soon. The best part was, the boys were actually watching when the picture went out and they know first-hand that it’s gone. Yea! No more T.V. whining, I’m not the mean Mama, and they can now keep their brains working on other things.

Tonight was a great example of where the imagination can go when there isn’t technology to entertain it. I came home from a therapy session to be greeted by Jack wanting to know how to write 5 cents. As I pondered what he was doing, he announced that he was setting up a store so that he can sell some of his junk. His goal---to raise money to buy a BB gun (typical Kemper Boy ambition). I went upstairs to find a little stand of items for sale and his store was open for business. Soon Sam joined in by opening his store. It was great to see their entrepreneurial sides, and each had a different strategy. Jack focused on ‘Cheap, cheap, cheap”---he was selling things at bargain prices so that you would be more likely to buy and so he could “move his inventory.” Sam’s strategy was a little more tricky…he would announce the price and then tell you how much you were saving (everything was on sale) so it sounded like you were getting a great deal “It’s $1…but it used to be $3,” was the type of hype that I heard for his items.

The idea of the stores was great and made me smile. They have always liked to play store, but with play money…this time they were serious! My smile soon faded as the salesmen got a little more pushy with each passing hour, and they began demanding more money. Jack’s inventory seemed to grow every minute as he would add more junk to his shelves. Finally when I was out of coins and dollars that I had scrounged for, I told them that my shopping was done. Jack’s response…”Wait! You still have your credit card!” “You take credit cards?” I said. “Sure, everybody does,” he reasoned. Hmm…I don’t think I want to be in debt to my 5 year old. Guess I need to use the debit card less often and stick to the greens so they can actually see the money going bye-bye! Now I'm hearing "Mom! Come get Lydia, she's shoplifting!"

The “stores” are still open (sitting in my hallway, that we keep tripping over), my coin stash is now in their hands, and they keep asking when I’ll go to the bank for more cash. But, I’m now the proud owner of a Pokemon card, an antique bullet, an empty hermit crab shell, and a few pieces of eccentric tinker-toy art. And, I’ve found the perfect spot to display my new treasures…on top of that broken T.V!

She's Becoming a Mini-Me!

Strangely, Lydia is very much like me in her personality and tends to like the same things that I do. We are a perfect match and more often we are finding ourselves hanging out together as Jason does guy-stuff with the boys. She is VERY strong, and it takes all my strength to hold her down sometimes (like taking blood). She is a "people-person" and chatty, but also likes alone time. She is smiley, but also a thinker. She loves to sleep! And like me, she loves spicy food (esp. Mexican) and we are finding that she loves to go to Chipotle (I could eat there every day). She also loves shoes, purses, and jewlery (like me) and is becoming a pack-rat. Today, as we were out in a store, she found a bracelet and screamed her head off when we had to put it back. She had it on her arm, showing it to people (fishing for compliments). Alot of these things, most little girls like and do. But, for any Nature/Nurture debaters out there...it is something to ponder. We'll see how much more like me she becomes later in life!

Many people ask how Lydia is adjusting and also regarding her health/development. So, here is a little summary:

We have had her now for seven months. She runs, skips, hops, and gallops---she is very fast and can make it across the yard and climbing up into the fort before I even know what's going on! Her speech and language are nearly age-appropriate and gets better every day. Her fav words now are "no-no" and "mine", and (the most sweet) "home." It is so precious to hear her little voice say "home" ---like when she's had too much shopping or like today, when I picked her up from the church nursery--she greeted me with a squeal and then a soft "home" letting me know that she'd had enough there and that she loves her place with us. It melts my heart, especially when I think that previously she had no "home".

Her health at this time is very good. I haven't written much about it, because we actually often forget that she was a "Special Needs" baby! Hopefully, it will stay that way. Upon visiting the Cardiologist in the winter, we found that there is absolutely nothing wrong with her heart....what a blessing and a relief! When we applied for her, we were preparing for surgery or whatever it took to heal her...and now her heart is perfectly healthy! She continues to see a Gastroenterologist, and that is going well. We will visit him again this summer for more testing and to determine if a liver biopsy is necessary. I tend to forget that we may still have challenges in the future. But, I'm content to just "take things as they come."

In the area of attachment, she is doing great---however, will still go to strangers sometimes-but then usually comes back to me for a hug or reassurance.

It is amazing that it has been one year already since we found out about her---time seems to be accelerating. I'm noticing a couple more gray hairs and wrinkles (or crinkles, as I like to call them). I don't mind how old I am, as long as I don't look that old! It's beginning to get more difficult to appear young...no hair color or Botox yet though :)

Hangin' Out in the Country

We spent the last week hanging out with my parents in our little hometown. What started as just a weekend trip, turned into a whole week of fun in the country. It was great for the kids to enjoy being out of the city, and experience the exact things that I loved about summer. During the day they played in the sand, rode bikes on the gravel roads, chased each other with water guns, watched the farmers bale hay, and dug around in my Dad's huge garden. At night they caught lightening bugs, played flashlight tag, looked at the moon and stars through their telescope, caught a few frogs, and had a bonfire with roasted marshmallows, and for the most fun of all----went for lawnmower and tractor rides with Grandpa. I used to do all of these things when I was little and so it was neat to watch them play under the same trees that had watched over me as a little girl.

What did I do? I relaxed in the hammock or fluffy pillow swing, keeping an eye on Lydia. If she was napping, I caught a nap too, but under the old trees in our yard---not a sound, but the wind rustling the leaves or an occasional tractor going by on the gravel. It was wonderful to be carefree, floating in the breeze---just thinking about nothing, or recalling what all those trees had witnessed over the years. (perhaps that's a great story line for a poem or novel).

Lydia enjoyed the summer fun at Grandma's for the first time---she loved being able to wander around in the yard---there are some worries though, like the corn field that stretches forever that would quickly lose a curious 1 year old, or the 3-foot goldfish pond, which is deep and dangerous! So, it was not all relaxing in keeping up with her.

Our hometown was celebrating 150 years since its founding, so we participated in small town fun. Everything looks different since I was a kid, and everything seems so much smaller. We saw many faces from the past and the kids got to experience a small town celebration--even Grandma marched in the parade with her old twirling group! It made me feel old and returning to your past is always strange, as people seem to remember you for who you used to be, and the past can't be changed.

Comment of the week...while we are driving to Grandma's---
Sam: "Well Dad, I guess if you would just work a little bit harder, we'd have enough money to move to the country. So, I guess that's just what you need to do."

We laughed so hard! Jason laughed because of Sam's implication that he doesn't work hard enough and that just a little more money would get him someplace like Grandma and Grandpa's---a fun life forever! And I laughed at the thought of living in the country again---although that's how I grew up, I am now an absolute city-girl and the thought of being trapped in the country seems crazy. We love to visit and have some respite there, but to live there is another thing. Actually, we have the best of both worlds, a life in the city and rest at Grandma's in the countryside :)

More of the Country Bumpkins

Nearly every night, we spent some time looking through the telescope...my parents have the perfect spot for it---darkness, no city lights!





A favorite evening activity in our family is popcorn! After a day packed full of fun, we always have popcorn and t.v. to wrap it up. A rare pic of all four munchkins, mainly because they are busy stuffing their faces.







Sam found a toad and frog hopping through the night. That is something that I did NOT do as a kid, pick up amphibians! The boys loved it and Grandma was happy that they found boy stuff---until they brought it in the house! The poor thing got dropped several times and then tossed out into the yard when they were finished with him...as the kids ran around in the dark---I imagine he got smashed.


Lydia pushing around a talking Ernie---kind of freaky.



A serious look from Lydia as she wanders the yard. What beautiful eyes!




Sam has learned to stay safe on the gravel roads. On one long bike ride (with a jogging Dad), they brought home a stray dog---that's typical. Unfortunately it stayed around drooling near my hammock until my Dad had to drive it back to its owners property.

Grandmas

Jason's mom marching in the hometown parade with her twirling group.












My mom is always looking for fun new things to keep the kids busy---this time she hit the jackpot...a Chocolate Fountain! Now, not everyone has a chocolate fountain. Leave it to my mom to create fun, especially involving sugar. The boys loved dipping their fruit. But, when they were done, everyone was covered in chocolate and my Dad was chasing them around with papertowels. I don't think the chocolate fountain will come out very often!

Fourth of July Fun

Look at that funny grin! She loves the pool with Grandma, in her polka dot bikini.

Our Little Firecrackers

The fireworks that I typically see are the ones with two little legs running around my house, terrorizing my furniture, consuming my energy, and ready to explode any minute! They are loud and must be handled with care or I'll find myself blown up! I'm talking about my children, of course. But, this post is also about our Fourth of July festivities!

We like going to the State Capitol on the 4th to watch the fireworks on the Capitol lawn (and see Jason's family there). And again this year, we were able to do that.

Lydia enjoyed the flag waving and a parade, but missed her first fireworks because she was asleep in the stroller.

The boys are "pyros" at any time of the year, and this 4th were able to light off most of their own explosives (because their Dad let them, not because I think it's a safe thing to do!!!). They are pretty responsible, but I had to go in the house several times so that I had less chance of seeing my kids blow their fingers off or shoot a bottle rocket under Grandma's lawn chair! I voice my "two-cents worth", but Jason usually gets the final say on the dangers that the boys participate in---it's a difficult thing to be a mom of boys (especially ones who are reckless and danger-seekers---aren't all boys that way though?)

Here is Sam getting ready to light off something spectacular.

Jack is getting ready to blow up some green army men (never mind that he was lighting them on the mulch)---it was surprising to see how far those guys went!

More from the photo sitting

We were finally able to make it in for some professional photos--we dread that kind of thing! The boys are never agreeable and the photographers usually arrange the kids really strange and I end up having to step in, rearrange the kids to make them look like I want and then entertain and act goofy so they smile (control freak, I know)---I always think those places should be paying ME for decent photos because I'm the one sweating when I leave!



Out of 150 shots, we got a few that were good. Many of the shots had Ben flopping on the floor or actually running off of the screen!
















Lydia was a bit shocked---I think she was afraid of the photographer girl. But, we got some cute shots once she smiled!

Finally, a professional photo!

May fun

Lydia really loves the backyard. Her favorite thing to do is swing. But now that it's warmer, she also loves to sit at the picnic table for a little snack or "lay" in the hammock (she really tries to jump on it like a trampoline).





In this pic, she's enjoying a sunny afternoon snack. Surprisingly she sat at the little table for about 20 minutes, without getting up or standing on it!!! I think she was just enjoying a bit of peace and quiet (the boys were at school and Ben napping).












Also surprisingly, she is very content wearing a hat and will keep this huge thing on her head forever! What a sweet little face with rosy cheeks....

We enjoyed Jack's preschool program in May. (Ben, not so much so!) But, Lydia loved to watch the children do hand motions, and hear them sing. She stood on my lap most of the time and "sang" along and tried to do some "motions". Thankfully, she loves music and that kept her entertained throughout the program. Ben, on the other hand, had to be removed by the bouncer (Daddy) because of his rowdy behavior!

Cutie pics

Lydia having an excited squeal---lunch with Grandma at Red Robin. She is a great lunch date so far. Sits in her chair, doesn't want to run around the place, and eats her food (kind of!). Restaurant trips with the boys are quite different! As the boys were smaller, many times Jason and I never enjoyed our food due to several trips to the bathroom, boys running off, peering over booths, or scouring underneath the table (yuck!). Another fun reminder of the vast differences between boys and girls---it's great!!






Lydia's first trip to our pool...she absolutely LOVES the water! She loves to splash, of course, but more strangely, loves to go under! She comes up laughing and squealing with glee, while wiping the water from her eyes. I can see that she might be quite dangerous at the first swim meet coming up in June! Watching the boys swim will be quite a challenge while chasing her around.






Here is our sweet "bat girl"...
Although we have lots of pink and girlie stuff, she also loves her brother's light sabers and super hero masks! She will be quite well-rounded in her play skills---from taking care of dollies, to "saving the day"...all in a day's work for this little gal!





Here Lydia is "cheesing" at Ben's birthday party. She now knows that cameras are for smiling and saying "eeeee"






Below...Jack is learning to read and sat to read to his younger sibs. Yesterday I mentioned that he needs to be a good example because he's a big brother...his response "No I'm not! SAM is the big brother!" I don't know what he considers himself, but I tried to point out that he, also, is a big brother...alas, the challenge for the middle child---trying hard to understand 'who you are' and where you fit in the family.

Spring Pics

Some "firsts" for Lydia...


First piggy-tails and swinging in backyard. She LOVES to swing---and HIGH! She is a thrill-seeker for sure. And, Daddy loves her hair pulled back off her face in pigtails. In this pic (in March), her hair isn't quite long enough, but they are there!

Here is her first real shopping trip---helping Mommy look for a new suit for a job interview. After much searching (and using every item in my purse for entertainment!), we found the suit! The suit looked great, the interview went very well, AND I got the job!

This Fall, I will begin my first semester as a professor at the Univ. of Central Missouri, teaching Language Development and supervising student clinicians in the on-campus clinic. A new

and exciting venture for me, and also new adjustments for our family. It has been five years since I've been in private practice and the kids don't know what it's like for me to "go off to work." Thankfully, the faculty schedule is

flexible and the little ones (Ben and Lydia) will go with me to campus, as there is a childcare facility there. I can pop in anytime, eat lunch with them, take them for a walk, or bring them back to my office. Challenges are yet to come I'm sure, but we are used to working hard to overcome and make things okay.

Another "first"...my first Mother's Day with a little girl! It is such a joy to have her. Ruffled socks and panties, which bow to wear, painting tiny toenails, girlie emotional outbursts, a tiny high-pitched voice singing and trying new words, and sweet kisses are just a few of the things I'm loving! Lydia now has over 30 words that she uses regularly, and her favorites now are "spider" (with little arm motions) to indicate that she wants "Itsy Bitsy Spider", AND whenever she meets new people she says "mama" over and over while watching them carefully, hugging me, and nodding her head---almost as if to say "I know you are not my momma, SHE is..."

Easter pics

I just got a ton of pictures downloaded off of my camera (almost 500!) So, I'll include some here, even though several are from early Spring.



Here, Ben poses for a rare photo opp. He is hardly ever aggreeable to picture taking and thus it is difficult to get good photos of all of them in the same shot---what a stinker! Sam and Jack are shown attached at the hip as usual. They are such 'buds' (on most occassions). Here, they were finishing up an Easter egg hunt.




In early March, Lydia really began to show an interest in books---not just to tear them up, but to really sit and listen for a bit! Here we are reading "Moonbeams and Dragons Boats" (for about 20 seconds!), which is a great book that explains in kid-friendly language and illustrations, the wonderful holidays, traditions, and customs celebrated in China.


Here is our FIRST family photo! It was taken in late March on Easter---so it took us 3 months to get a decent picture taken!!! That's terrible. And, the only reason this happened, is because we were all dressed for church and my sister, Andrea, was available to take the pic.

More on Earthquake

Each time I see a photo or read a clip about the suffering in China, a stab of pain pierces my heart. Half the Sky Foundation has been posting updates regarding the condition of the orphanages---there are many damaged, but no injuries to the children. However, more children are now arriving at the orphanages because they have lost their parents, survived the quake, and are now orphans themselves.

There are no reports about Lydia's orphanage in Fuling. That indicates they don't have the info and they are most likely okay.

China Earthquake

I have been wanting to write since we heard of the tragic earthquake in China. Several people have asked about the location in relation to where we were. The epicenter was about 200 mi from Fuling---where Lydia was born and lived in the orphanage; and about about 250 mi from Chongqing (where we stayed five months ago). From what we have read, the orphanages in the area were not damaged and the children/babies are safe. However, many of the mountainous villages in the area were swiped away, as they are built into the hillsides that were shifting.

**Photos from our trip---the countryside between Fuling and Chongqing (approx. 200 mi from the earthquake epicenter)

Jason googled a bit today and the photos from the area are heartbreaking. Parents weeping over their lifeless child being pulled from the rubble---their ONLY child, because of China's policies. People devasted because their homes, often whole villages, are in ruins. Where will these people go? How will they rebuild their lives? They are the poorest ones already, only to meet more adversity. From what I have read though, about the people of China, is that they are a strong people; and that throughout history, they have repeatedly overcome sufferering and strife.





At times like this, we think of Lydia's birthparents---their whereabouts and safety. And, we get weepy about the thought of our sweet girl still being there, or if we were there picking her up during this time!





Pray for the people of China today...

Is it April already? Life with the tornado girl!

Amazingly it has been almost 2 months since I last visited my site! I just don't have the time to sit down and not be interrupted a zillion times.

Our 'little lady' is quite an octopus these days! She can get anywhere fast---and that girl can reach! She is quite tall for her age. She can reach up onto the counter and pull off anything (including cups of coffee and cutlery--yikes!) Thankfully no accidents there yet, as we are usually watching her like a hawk. But she is into everything; and although she understands "no" and the things she's not supposed to do, her drive for exploring and experiencing is just too strong! She can't seem to help herself and will continue doing what we have repeatedly pulled her away from---very typical 18 months, but also she is somewhat strong-willed and *wants* to continue just to see if she can and for how long. And, for her everything is enjoyable! Just rustling papers frantically, sends her into squeals of laughter with cheeky smiles---until she sees me coming and she tries to put them back. It's so difficult, as I know she needs to explore; however, we also can't have her shredding things, chewing on shoes, pulling Engineering books off shelves onto toes, and basically leaving a tornado-type path in her wake! So, I am left to love her so much and also feel so frustrated with her---that sounds familiar. Oh yeah, the boys are just like that...

In trying to keep her from exploring TOO much, we also have to work extra hard to keep her safe (while still letting her play and learn)---that also is difficult. She thinks she can 'walk' up and down the stairs (only been on two feet for 2 months) or dive head-first into the tub! And because she is tall, she can climb up onto any table or chair and we constantly find her standing on things--boxes or baskets turned upside down, or a footstool that she has pushed up to stove!!! We are starting to call her "Lydi-danger"! I will try to include the pic of her sitting on top of my kitchen desk (surrounded by dreadful stacks of papers and books!), happily picking through interesting things while perched on her knees 3 feet off the ground!

Last week we had our first trip to the ER---well, Urgent Care at Children's Mercy. She was cruising passed the banister post (with square corners at the bottom), slipped and banged her head on it---immediate dripping blood and screaming. I knew right away we needed "glue" as it was a split open cut. So, off we went to get her sweet little head glued back together (after we found clothes because we were still in our jammies at 10 am!). As we went there, I remember thinking "how many more times will I be here with this little one??" and "how am I going to keep this child safe? we've had her 4 months and the bonks and bruises are a daily thing!"

I know we are in the toddler phase and it doesn't last forever. However, Lydia is making up for lost time and it seems she will be catching up for awhile---experiencing those things that she didn't have a chance to for the first 14 months of her life. And it seems more difficult because we never had that infant stage with her---just straight to the crazy stuff! No laying around in a bouncy seat. We are constantly on the go and I am never alone--her following me around or me tracking her down to catch the next item that's being tossed in the toilet! Challenging, and exhausting, but I wouldn't change it for anything....

Lydia loves her new baby

Lydia is 16 months old! Here are some most recent pics with her new Asian baby doll. When she first arrived home (at 14 months), she had no idea what a dolly was, nor how to play with it. Since her play skills consisted of mainly banging and mouthing toys, she didn't attend to the doll at all---just dropped it and moved on.

Today, I got out the doll again with a play bottle; she picked her up right away, looked intently at the face, touched the hands and hair, and hugged it. When I gave her the bottle, she put it right up to the baby's mouth and said "mmm". Great play skill progress for eight weeks; with no intervention or teaching, but just natural parent/baby interactions!

Happy Chinese New Year

We celebrated our first Chinese New Year together--the Year of the Rat! Tonight we attended the CNY activities at the Nelson-Atkins art museum here in KC. We had tickets to attend a dance performance of little girls doing traditional Chinese dance.




Thinking that we had left in plenty of time, we were surprised to then be caught up in traffic on the block surrounding the art museum. As there was no parking and cars everywhere, we soon realized that this was a bigger event than we thought! After finding parking two blocks away, we ended up being late for the early performance. But we saw plenty and had a nice time.



The boys were very interested in the lion dance, the calligraphy painting, and the musical group (which played stringed instruments somewhat like what you would see musicians playing in a tea house). They weren't as interested in the Chinese art, but Jason and I were---several scrolls, stone carvings, etc. The food from Bo Ling's looked and smelled great; but we knew the boys wouldn't try it, so we passed it up.



I was interested to see the variety of people that came out for this event; some Asians, some adoptive families, and those that just love to experience the arts and the Chinese culture.



However, what interested me the most was Lydia's response (or lack of) to the Chinese language she heard. As we watched a Chinese artist doing silk painting, another woman struck up conversation with her directly beside us (either in Mandarin or Cantonese, I can't tell!). Lydia didn't make any indication that she even noticed the Chinese language---she has only been immersed in English for 5 weeks. I thought she would make some kind of response, like watching them or staring at them as if she recognized it---but, nothing. Could it be that she has forgotten the language already? Maybe they weren't speaking Mandarin or possibly a dialect that she didn't understand? Or perhaps because being with us indicates English-only to her and she wasn't expecting to hear Chinese. Not sure, but it was interesting to watch and good for pondering later on.

Crew of Four

Our household of four children has taken a bit of getting used to, but we are finally feeling that we are meshing into what God has designed for us! The boys LOVE their sister and are intrigued by anything Asian. It's amazing what they will eat now if we let them use their new chopsticks---why didn't I think of that sooner!!! They dote on Lydia and she loves to 'wrestle' with them. As I write this I heard, "You protect her from Darth Maul, I've got to go get my lightsaber!" and one Jedi swoops her up and carries her away from evil while the other fetches his weapon.

They are quick to watch out for her and keep her safe from the stairs and everyone wants to lay down next to her if we are cuddling up on a Saturday morning. They now want to know when we are going to get the next little girl and are pondering what we will name her! Things are so simple and reasonable when you are under age 7.


I can't get them all to sit still long enough for a photo with all four of them; so for now, I'll have to settle for individual pics.
You can see the true personalities shining through in these pics! Sam, cuddling up with soup on a day feeling under the weather trying to help 'heal his body.' Jack, with a goober-face doing Lego city with Dad (a new airport he got for Christmas). Ben, showing off the Ben Ten watch that is the new rage in our house---he won't take it off and spends most of his day transforming back and forth between alien and boy. And lastly, but ever so sweetly, little Lydia who is constantly busy exploring and learning!