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!

"Lydia-the-Sweet"

Our little Lydia is such a joy to be around! Her personality is really blossoming and we see more of 'who she is' everyday. We have done a few minor interventions---like some sensory (tactile) things and some 'core strengthening' (as Jason calls it) to help her bond through touch and to strengthen those weak trunk muscles. When we first got home she had much diffiulty still with balance and strength---so if she lost balance when sitting or crawling, she would just fall right over and bonk her face or head with no way to 'catch' herself or ease the fall.

So, to sum it up, in four weeks--- she is now walking, I mean practically running around the house! She can pivot and turn the other way to 'run' from us when we pretend to chase her and can even run around with a toy in her hand! She still loves to eat and will eat anything we offer. Now, we've noticed that she is finally beginning to reject food when she's full (she would just eat and eat before).

From the Speech Path. in me---She is starting to talk and says a few one and two-syllable words "ball, more, baba (bottle), bye-bye, hi, dada, mama, hot". She waves hello, bye-bye, and nigh-night, signs 'all done' when she wants down from her chair, tells us when she's hurt by patting her head, and shakes her head no-no when she's doing something she shouldn't (smile). The amazing thing is that she does all of this spontaneously during appropriate moments, not just imitating us---what a sponge in such a short time!

She's a smart little thing and understands ALOT of what we are saying. When I say , "time to go get Sam", she looks towards the garage and waves and says 'bye-bye'. Just like the boys, I've begun a 'case study' of her speech and language development to keep track---I can't help it!

Thank you, and thank you again!

It is with great joy that I am writing from home, the place where our family memories reside and our precious blessings (our children) rest their heads at night. Another little one rests her head here as well, and we are still in a fog of joy and disbelief over the events of the past year. I pray that these walls will provide a place of love and security for her as she grows and begins to understand how God has worked to bring us together. He truly has worked a miracle in our lives as we were shown His plan for us and why we are yet drawing breath. It is our goal to show Lydia God's purpose for her life as well, as we share with her the story of her beginnings, her Chinese heritage, and how we became her family.

I would like to send out a sincere THANK YOU to our family and friends who have supported and encouraged us throughout this miraculous process, through our journey to China, and as we are adjusting at home. Your kind words and actions gave us courage and joy when we felt downhearted or discouraged (while we waited for Lydia), when we felt lonely (while in China), and when we felt extreme joy (after receiving our child); and also now, as we have been greeted with warm welcomes and words of shared happiness for our daughter. We feel so fortunate that the Lord has given us such wonderful people to have supporting us at such an overwhelming time! Your calls, emails, notes, and gifts have been such a blessing to us! Most of all, thank you for your prayers. The emotions and detailed aspects of the adoption process and the orphaned/institutionalized child are quite unique and challenging---one cannot do this without support, encouragement, and prayer! THANK YOU from depths of our hearts!

A special thanks to our parents and siblings for so many things (most that are too numerous to mention), but most specifically for filling up the "emotional tanks" of three little boys during a stressful time of year. Our parents sacrificed their time, money, energy, and emotional health (!) to make Christmas a special time for them and to make things okay without Mommy and Daddy for nearly three weeks! It is very difficult to keep up with 3 energetic boys, let alone their school schedules, Christmas programs and parties, and arrange for their holiday travels. Add to that the specific personalities and emotional needs of three very different little people, and I must say---our folks had a VERY difficult job for such a long period of time...and they did GREAT! For their perseverance and dedication to us, we are forever grateful! WE LOVE YOU!