I SPY

I spy a new wardrobe accessory!! Do you spy it? Dress - nope, socks- nope, hairbows - nope, big girl underwear- YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The teacher and I agreed that pull-ups were not for us. Elizabeth does not understand they are not diapers. We have been having success at home so this week we plunged into potty training at school - straight to the big girl underwear! I am proud to say that everyday she has come home with the same clothes on that she departed with. I am sooooooooo proud of her and she is proud of herself which is most important! Now we start a whole new world of entering a store (or any place) and scanning for the bathroom and determining how long it will take us to get there once the words "I potty" are uttered! Good job my dear Elizabeth!

Fourth of July

Elizabeth had a grand first FOURTH OF JULY. Her Grammie, Poppie, Aunt Janet, Cousin Dominique and Cousin Gabe came to visit her for the long weekend.

On Thursday, just after they arrived, Elizabeth quickly convinced Poppie to push her on the swings. It didn't seem like a hard sell!!

On the fourth, we had a BBQ and then went to the beach to watch the fireworks. Sadly, they were canceled due to a huge rain storm that we got caught in. It might have been a blessing since I am not sure how Elizabeth would have done and Poppie was sick when we got home.
Our First Family photo on 4th of July!

Elizabeth and Domi enjoy the pool that Baba got her.

It must be a holiday. Even Baba got in the water.

Grammie, Baby Gabe and Elizabeth at the beach

She knows she is cute!!


On Saturday we went to Bluebird Gap Farm. The girls loved the animals and the playground but is was soooooo hot. We were FORCED to go get some ice cream to recover!
Uncle Sam/Baba kept the girls stocked in animal food. I guess you really can't take too many quarters like I thought.

The Rooney Girls!

Cold Stone provided much needed relief and refreshment after being out in the heat!

Sunday morning we had no power so we had a nice leisurely breakfast out. Elizabeth was then very excited to take Domi to the pool!





The weekend's events could not be documented without mentioning that we got to meet our nephew/cousin for the first time. Elizabeth just absolutely fell in love with Baby Gabe. She kissed him at every chance! He is a cutie and pretty hard to resist.


On Monday morning they packed up and disappeared just as quickly as the arrived. We had a wonderful weekend and look forward to our family vacation with everyone next month.
On a different note, keep Elizabeth in your prayers. She is going to the Children's Hospital tomorrow for dental work in their day surgery unit. We are anxious and she is so unsuspecting.

Yeah, she IS delayed!

It is official, Elizabeth is speech and language delayed with a mild to moderate articulation disorder. YEAH!!! At first reading you might be thinking, "What kind of mother is this, she is happy her daughter is delayed?" I am sad for Elizabeth that she had to spend so much of time in the orphanage that this is the result but I am excited for a couple of reasons
1. I am now not crazy. I didn't make it up. The developmental Ped, the wonderful speech therapist who provided the second opinion and best of all the insurance company all agree that things are right.
2. My special education degree and my decade in the classroom didn't fail me. I knew there was something wrong and I knew not to stop until I found the people to agree with me (See Mom and Hubby ~ that characteristic does pay off sometimes:)
3. Most importantly, Elizabeth can now get the help she needs to grow and develop into the best little person she can be. Without identifying the problem, you just can't fix it.

We had our first speech session today after our evaluation a couple of weeks ago. Elizabeth did great. I am so thankful to be able to do the private speech therapy for as long as the insurance holds out. Ms. Robyn is fantastic. We are working right now on one word to whatever she says such as help now becomes need help or need help becomes I need help. We are working on the pronoun I and naming pictures in books. I think with a little expert advice and guidance, Sam and I will really be able to focus on specific objectives at home. I got a little teary eyed during the therapy watching her listen and doing so well. Some moments it just seems a bit overwhelming to think about how far she has come in just 9 short months ago when she couldn't pick up a cheerio or walk up a small step. I am so relieved to know begin to conquer the language.

No entry is complete without a few pictures of my beautiful baby!

May Has Come and Gone

How does the time pass so quickly! This month has been so busy. The best part of the month was celebrating my first mother's day. We (I) decided it would be a weekend celebration. On Saturday, my friend Leslie and I took the girls to Bluebird Gap Farm. Elizabeth had a great time and I enjoyed the time with Leslie and watching the girls play together. Fin got her to do all sorts of things including feeding goats and enjoying a really high slide! We also took our first hayride. Mother's Day was rainy so my hopes of going to the beach were ended. Instead we spent the day at home just enjoying being a mommy!! Elizabeth had card in her crib already for me. I got a wonderful manicure and pedicure as well as some scrapbooking things. The rest of the month as been filled with lots of firts ~ First trip to the beach, first snow cone, first corn on the cob and first happy times on some inflatables. We tried to take her but we got only screams, so I took the girls down the street with us. We ran into other girls from church. Between the four of them, they taught Elizabeth that inflatables are really, really, really, alot of fun!!!! The month ended with the depature of our friends Jessie and Alicia. The bought their first house in upstate New York. We miss them so much. They were great neighbors, great friends and adored Elizabeth. She still looks at their house and asks for them. I guess at 3 years old, it is hard to understand where people disappear too. I promise to update more now that summer is here and I have a bit more free time. I keep trying to justify to myself tha it is better to live life than write about it. Right???

Enjoy some pictures of the cutiest little girl around!

Birthmother's Day

As my very first Mother's Day approaches, I am reminded that the day before Mothter's Day is Birthmother's Day. I will forever be thankful to my own birthmother whose love for me was so great that she knew the best thing for me was to make an adoption plan for me. For years, I wondered all those unanswered questions that only an adopted person appreciates. I was lucky enough to find my birthmother as an adult and to enjoy a wonderful relationship with her.
Although we had know each for ten years by the time I was married, my wedding day was the first day that my parents met my birthmother and brother.

Every year, one of my favorite traditions is spending Christmas Eve Eve with her and my new extended family that i have found with my brother and his family.

This Christmas was extra special because they got to meet Elizabeth for the first time.

Although I was lucky in finding my birthmother and having all of my questions answered, I know that will probably not be the same for Elizabeth but who knows, alot can change in a couple of decades. I just hope that I can impart the same appreciation for what her birthmother did for her as my mom did for me regarding my birthmother. I know that her adoption, at some time in her life, may become her cross to bear. A little piece of me regrets that her cross to bear is the same thing that brought our family the greatest joy. To Elizabeth's birthmother, no words can ever express the gift you have given to us. We will love your little girl to the moon and back. We promise to always care and protect her as you would have if you were able. We promise to teach her about her culture, to cherish her heritage, and to appreciate that some decisions in life are heart wrenching. No real words work other than to say thank you for giving us a baby to love.

Elizabeth giving her Nana (my birthmother) a little Mother's Day gift.

It Isn't All Roses

Parenting a toddler is a hard job. Parenting a toddler whose personality was shaped by people and circumstances beyond your (or her) control is even harder. Mostly, we share the wonderful progress that Elizabeth is making and the joys of our new family. This past week on one of my yahoo groups, a mother is in China right now and struggling. Basically she said that she wasn't prepared for any of the negative stuff just all of the feel good stuff that is shared. My heart went out to her. She is on my mind and tonight Elizabeth comes home from school with Daddy and like many other days, she has her usual melt-down. Usually we attribute it to being tired and hungry. Tonight was different. I can't say it was the first time but whenever it happens, it really rattles me to my motherhood core. She was beyond consoling. Touching her made her scream harder, talking to her made her scream harder. The thrashing was scary. Sam decided to take her to her crib. Not as punishment but that is usually where, when all else fails he can pat her back until she calms down. That didn't work. When I went up, she just pulled herself as far away as she could in her crib, knowing that I couldn't reach her. It broke my heart in ways I didn't know it could hurt. I have no idea why she is upset and no idea how to help her. When we brought her home, I never wanted her to cry alone in her crib but on nights like tonight, that is all she wants. It makes me so sad for her. My dear husband, not meaning to add salt to my wounds said "She is never like this with me, it is just when you are around". I know it just seemed like he was reporting the facts but to me,it was gut wrenching. Does something happen in her little mind at times and I remind her of her loss of everything she knew. Do I work to much? Does that make her feel abandoned again at times? Does she feel the need to distance herself from me in case I am about to abandon her just like has been done to her in the past. I don't know what it is. I wish she could comprehend how very much I love her. This video is reminder to me that no matter how bad some days are, a bad day here is better than a good day where she was. Elizabeth, my pumpkin, if I could make every fear go away and replace it with trust that Mommy and Baba will always do their best by you I would. We love you like Crazy Cakes!
PS. You might want to turn the music off at the bottom of the page.

She's A Keeper

After this evening, there is no question that we are going to keep her!!:) I love for the summertime to be filled with trips to the pool and days spent on the beach. We have really tried neither up to this point. Tonight we got home from work at a reasonable time to be met by a grumpy little girl. We decided to go to the park to brighten her bleak mood. At the last minute we decided to grab dinner on the go and head down to Buckroe Beach. It is less than 10 minutes from our house. It is really an gem of a place that does not get near the recognition it deserves. It is about the most redemming thing about living in this city. We laid out the blanket, took her shoes off and preceded to play in God's sandbox. Her first few bare footed steps were uneasy. Soon she took off and decided to head to the water. At first I had to hold her and scoop her down to feel the water with her hand. We then sat and a few waves came and got our feet. Well her feet and my entire bottom half. We went back to Baba when she decided to go back to the water. On this trip, she stood there holding my hands. Before long she was standing by herself, laughing her big belly laugh. She was having a blast!!! We missed so many first~ sitting up, standing, walking, etc. It was nice to share this experience with her. When we got back to the blanket, she looked at us and said "Happy". What more could a Mommy and Baba need! The only thing missing was the camera to catch it all! It looks like summer will be lots of fun!

Let This Touch Your Heart

Watching this makes me thankful every moment that my pumpkin wakes up in a soft bed to a Mommy and Daddy that love her like crazy cakes! Before you watch it, scroll down to the bottom of the page and turn off the music.

March Came and Went

Wow, the month passed by quickly! I can't believe it has been so long since I posted. The month seems like a blur. We spent most of month feeling like we were going to be sick, being sick, or being on a slow road to recovery! Add in a busy work schedule and a 3 year old who changes by the day and things are quite hectic around here! Of course the highlight of the month was celebrating Easter. It was a great day filled with Church, family and friends. We feel so grateful to have such a full table. Elizabeth enjoyed the many egg hunts. Her first one was at church but sadly, I had to miss it. I surprised Poppy by delivering his birthday present to him. Lucky for us that my business trip was to my hometown on his birthday! We then went to the neighborhood egg hunt and then had one in our yard on easter day with our friends Rocky and Peyton. She has become quite the egg hunter!
Elizabeth continues to grow and change. She has finally outgrown her 12 month pants although as we venture into potty training, she has nothing to hold up the 18 month ones so we may have to take a step back! She now loves to have her hair in ponytails with ribbons. She says "cute" when she sees herself in her mirror. Wonder where she heard that. She continues to improve with her social skills and physical skills. She is climbing better and seems to play so much more appropriately with toys than just a short time ago. They are still toys for much younger children but you have to start somewhere! Her speech is still her biggest hurdle. We took her for a speech evaluation. In a short 15 minutes that we were actually in the office, after not getting her to say a word, after her little anxiety driven melt-down, they determined that she was impulsive, aggressive, and non-compliant with no language delay! I guess a second opinion is coming our way. I gave the therapist my opinion about her opinion which resulted in a call from her supervisor but we will NEVER step foot in there again. They can forget about there self-pay waiting list! I should not have gotten myself started!

Since it is April now, I should mention that today is our 5th wedding anniversary. For the special occasion our neighbor Alicia came over and got Elizabeth up from her nap and played with for 2 hours. Sounds like no big deal right? Maybe not to most but this was the FIRST time we have left her to go out from some mommy and daddy time since we have been home from China. It was wonderful that it happened to today so we could celebrate. We got to go to a movie and to the restaurant that we have gone to in the past to celebrate. (Thanks Mom and Dad for buying!) Many thanks to Alicia!!! You made it an extra special day for us today!
Today I will say that I love my Sam and my Elizabeth like CRAZY CAKES!!!!
Enjoy some updated pictures!

Has It Been Six Months Already??

The six month anniversary of our gotcha came and went without fanfare. Since I missed that day to update, today is the 6 month anniversary of arrival back in the US and her becoming a citizenship so I thought today would be appropriate. I will say that my beloved Elizabeth is certainly not the little girl I was expecting to have at home 6 months ago. When you look back at that time in Hefei, I can now see what a frightened, traumatized little girl that she was. Today it seems hard to believe that just 6 short months ago she would go 5 days without moving under her own volition. Now, we are hard pressed to keep her in one place for even a few minutes. Our little girl who we clapped wildly for in the lobby of the Novotel hotel when she took her first step for us now runs and jumps (with 2 feet clearing bout 6 inches from the ground. Climbing is still hard but with the spring coming, I think that will be quickly conquered. Our little girl who had trouble feeding herself cheerios now eats independently doing super with a spoon and fork! Bottles are long gone and sippy cups and straws are the order of the day. Drinking straight from a cup is still a bit off. My dear Elizabeth has not missed an hour of sleep since we recovered from our jetlag. Everyday it is in bed between 7 and 8 and up in the morning between 7 and 8. A two hour nap thrown in for good measure and we have a happy girl! Sam no longer needs to sit with her until she falls asleep, he gets her settled, turns on the music and then leaves her room. She is doing great in school. The only crying we really have now is when it is time to come and she is still playing. She loves her teachers and is interacting so much better with her classmates. She is still very much attached to mommy and cries something awful if I leave her. When we are out though, after about 15 minutes she will venture away from me, if I stay seated. Once I move, she becomes very clingy again. Getting better but still our biggest obstacle. We have had about one hour without her being with at least one of us thanks to Grammy, Pop and Auntie Katy, since we have been home. We look forward to the day when a babysitter is not a traumatic event. Her health continues to be good. She has gotten caught up on all of her immunizations and we have recovered from the Giardia that she came home with She did have a bout of pneumonia this month and has seen the dentist. She has to have major work done this summer, mostly due to the extended malnutrition that she experienced ~ my poor baby, I wish I could have had you sooner in your little life. Her language is slowly improving. She understands just about everything but has few words in her expressive vocab although that it steadily changing. This week we have started to hear 2 word sentences for the first time like "me walk" "me down" "Seeya morrow" Her chatter in Chinese though is almost non-stop. Some days we are looking for the off botton. We laugh so hard when she starts to get really serious with her tone and hand motions. Most importantly, that little girl who had the vacant look in her eye, who spoke so little, who self-stimed, who had no idea what to do with a toy is sooooooooo happy today. It is wonderful to watch to the glimmer in her eye, to listen to her deep belly laughs and chatter as if there is no off button, and to experience watching her personality unfold and change weekly. Everyday we tell her how much we love her and that we will love her more tomorrow. We absolutely, positively, with out a doubt, love her like crazy cakes!!! I can't not wait to see what the next six months will bring for our family!

Elizabeth with her 2 cribmates in Huainan Social Welfare Institute. If they could see her now!

Just a few minutes after holding her for the first time. I am sorry that the happiest moment in my life was her scariest.

Mommy loves you like crazy cakes!!
Six months has been filled with meeting new family and friends like Grammy and Pop

and Cousin Domi

and Rocky and Peyton

and the whole Rooney clan

and Auntie Katy who gets me to show my big belly laugh. This is such a small list of our wonderful family and friends who have come into Elizabeth's life in the last six months. I think they were as excited about her arrival as we were. We are lucky and grateful!

The big smile and belly life that we couldn't live without. You have come so far my baby!!

The Mall is not for Shopping Anymore!

MacArthur Mall is no longer for shopping in our world. It is the mecca for indoor rainy fun! We met our friends Leslie and Fin for a fun afternoon at the mall's playground and for lunch in the food court. Elizabeth had a great time playing with Fin. So rarely do we get to see her actively engaged with another child. Usually she just happily plays next to them but not actually with them. Once she established that she was just as strong-willed as Fin was and that she would not be told where to go and when to go and once she got a few lectures from Fin (it was great to watch, Fin had her hands on her hips just like E! usually does) on how to be a good girl, they had a great time together. They ran and played and with Fin's help, Elizabeth explored parts of the playground that she was never willing to do before. Wonderful day!!! Fin even got Elizabeth onto one of the cars that you drop the change into and it shakes you for a few minutes. She cried at first and then settled in and enjoyed 4 'test' drives. It was a great way to spend a cold and rainy day. We look forward to it again! PS. Thank you Cousin Domi for the box of clothes. "I usualy don't like hats but I enjoyed the one you sent me!"

January Update

Since I have a few minutes while everyone is sleeping on what was supposed to be snow day (got a dusting as opposed to the 4 inches they swore we would get!, I thought I would post a few updates. It has been a busy month for our family. Sadly, it has been mostly because I have been working and Sam has had parenting duty. I have had a lot of early mornings and late evenings so I have had more than a couple of days that I have not seen Elizabeth. I may be paranoid but I think it is causing a bit of a regression in our attachment. When we do come back together, she just screams and wants no part of me. She doesn't want me to touch her. She just yells "Go mommy". When I hold her and look into her eyes, she pushes my face away. It is so hard to see her like that. I keep telling her it will only be for 2 more weeks but that is like a life time to a toddler! When we are not apart, we have been having fun together. On New Year's Day, I cooked a big dinner and Grandma, Uncle Lem, and our friend Alicia came over. Elizabeth enjoyed being the center of attention! Potty training continues to go well. She has even had a oouple of occasions to indicate she needed to go. We are low key about it now but will buckle down as it get's warmer. We are pleased with out success right now. My dear friend Auntie Katy came over last weekend. It was wonderful to see her. She loves Elizabeth so much and Elizabeth really seems to sense that. They had a wonderful time together. I hope Auntie Katys' back can survive another get together soon! Elizabeth also got to spend some time visiting with Uncle Max, rough housing with Daddy and enjoying some new toys. Thanks to the tip from my friend Leslie, we learned about a great play area at a nearby mall. Elizabeth had a great time!!! She really exhauted herself. Instead of admitting defeat to the sleep monstor she just kept patting Ling's back and saying "night, night" I will leave you with 2 things that I can NEVER resist, my baby's beautiful smile and her happy giggle!!