Motherhood on Steroids

Official Christmas 2011 Photo!

As I write, my children are in a pretend log cabin in the dining/play room, complete with lanterns and a picnic I just made for them.  "What do camping-out people eat, Mommy?", Annie asked as I assmebled the tent.  We decided on turkey sandwiches and carrots.  Apparently carrots was the wrong answer, as I just received this report from my eldest: "Dan Dan is spitting carrots all over".  Such is life with these beautiful children.

Sweet, bright, exhausting, colorful, never boring, wild, very full.  That about sums things up.  And it all whizes by at rapid speed.  If I had time to write it all down, I could make a book about the antics and danger my son cooks up, and my daughter, she is only too happy to join in.  One incident included a make-shift water park that was created in our bedroom.  It was really quite impressive, including  mountains of wet laundry, a lake right in the center of the tile floor, a water slide fashioned from a laundry basket, and one soaked queen-sized mattress (perhaps this was the Lazy River).  Shad and I thought they were watching a movie, as we enjoyed one of very few conversations alone.  Imagine our delight when we discovered they had emptied a gallon of water over all in sight, pausing only to stop and reload in the bathroom sink when the well ran dry.  I have no clue how many gallons they dumped in our room, it looked like 1000.  And they were so eerily quiet as this went down.  Annie finally decided she needed to report the incident to us, since her brother was the instigator and all, and was really rather shocked when we were actually mad at BOTH of them.  Surely we recognized she was but a mere and innocent bystander, as she stood before us ringing wet from head to toe.  This is one of MANY moments of mayhem and foolishness, just in that day alone.  I am hoping for calmer New Normal soon.    

We are settling in and making progress as we adjust to life as a family of four.  The kids have become great pals for the most part, and sincerely enjoy spending time together.  I feel very grateful.  Dan Dan has grown in every way, mentally, emotionally, and physically, too.  He is learning to trust us, and feeling more secure.  He is also learning English, and understands so much of what we say now, which is a huge help.  His grandmother taught him "Jingle Bells" this season, and let me tell you, it is cuter than cute when he sings it.  Annie is amazing in her ability to communicate with her brother.  They have their own made-up language together, part Mandarin, part English, and part Crazy.  Somehow it works.

Leaf fight

A couple of weeks ago the kids had their first professional picture taken together.  This was what I wanted for Christmas, and all things considered, I call it a success.  The photographer was so patient and sweet, and was very understanding of Dan Dan's life philosophy- standing still + containment = TOTAL DRAG.  She did manage to get some awesome shots of my babies, and despite major challenges, I am so happy for the experience.  About halfway through the session Dan Dan decided he would start posing and became a total ham.  Through cold, rain, lots of laughter, and high-speed chases, we all endured.

Sweet Annie Rose, age 8

Charlie "Dan Dan", age 3.5
(He was not coached to do these poses!)

Christmas 2011 has had an added magic and made me more thankful than ever.  My heart is so full as the mother of my two children, these precious beings and overwhelming handfuls who I love so much and have been entrusted to raise.  We wish all of you a peaceful 2012, full of joy and blessings.  I for one know regardless of what comes our way, my New Year will not be dull.

Still Living...

I have had some folks ask when I am going blog again.  I can hardly even find the time to shower these days, so my blog updates have had to be sparse, and few and far between.  I promise I haven't snuffed anyone out.  :)

We are doing well, surviving the adjustment period, and still over the moon at the priviledge of raising our two awesome kiddos.  These are early days as our family of four, at times it is a dauting task.  Life is challenging, and some moments are crazy-making.  Others bring one or more of us to tears.  Our best times are at the park, where all is well, and smiles abound.  We've been to at least 10 parks in the Denton area, they have become our refuge and happy haven.  McDonald's brings great joy, too.  At least to the kidlets.  Playgrounds and Mickey D's, I imagine this is how our son defines America.  That, and "JIE JIE!".  He truly adores his sister more than words can describe.  Sometimes, the feeling is even mutual on her part. 

As evidence we are still alive, here are some recent park photos.  

A Texan in the Making

Annie is out of school this week, and Dan Dan is loving it.  Yesterday we braved the wind and the wet and had lunch outside at McDonald's.  The kids had so much fun.  After a rollercoaster ride of emotions the last few weeks, Annie has decided having a brother is pretty great in the last couple of days, much to Dan Dan's delight.  He adores her with his whole heart.  For the moment they are best buds, which makes my heart sing. 

We finally made progress with a Mandarin translation program on the computer.  In the past, we've tried several apps and programs.  Either they have not worked, or Dan Dan has completely ignored them.  Thankfully we had success, and I was able to tell him we were taking Annie to the doctor for a check-up, and he would not be getting a shot!  This is a fear of his that sends him into a tailspin.  Annie also had the computer translator tell him "Jie Jie loves Dan Dan forever".  Whoa.  Even thinking about this gets me teary-eyed. 

The road to siblinghood has not been an easy one for Annie, who for the past 7 years was the only child and center of our world.  In the blink of an eye, that all changed.  Being a big sister myself, I know it has its ups and downs.  Sometimes the downs can be very low.  There is no one who can push your buttons like a siblng.  Still, I have always been grateful for my brother, have always known my life is better because he's in it.  I pray in the end, my kids will feel the same.  And will not kill each other in the process of learning how to coexist.

Annie taught Dan Dan to say "howdy y'all".  With his Mandarin spin, it sounds like "hoedee yaaaaw".   Hilarious, and super duper cute.   He is very pleased with himself when he says it, too.  As with most things Dan Dan, he is convinced of his fabulosity!   We agree. 

Every time I would try to take a picture, Dan Dan would pretend to be asleep.  :)

Halloween in China, A Baby Throw-down, and Other Drama

I just found this post that I wrote in China, somehow I never put it on the blog.  It was written 10/31.

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We had a modified celebration of Halloween in China. I brought surprise costumes and planned for the kids to dress up. Or at least Annie, wasn't sure Dan Dan would be into it. She started to undress to put her costume on, and Dan Dan thought it was bath time! He LOVES bubble baths in the huge tub in our hotel room, which he treats as more of a white water rafting ride. He stripped off his clothes, jumped in the tub, and turned on the water. So..... plan B. After the bath, our wet-headed kiddos dressed up as Nasa Flight Crew members, and they were super cute! We trick-or-treated in the hotel, complete with chocolate candy and H'ween treat bags. Fun stuff, these are the moments that make parenthood grand. 

After trick-or-treating, it was time for dinner. An explosive French Fry War broke out, and it got ugly. Charlie's favorite food is french fries, and he does not appreciate having to share them with anyone, including Annie. It is not unusual for newly adopted kids to hang onto to things and have an extra hard time sharing. He is looking out for himself at a time when everything is so new to him. He's not sure what's around the corner, so anything that he loves, he does not want to let go of. As an adult, I get it. I also get that it's not unusual for 8 year old new sisters to take issue with such behavior, and Annie reached a point where she was DONE with being nice to Dan Dan. Dinner was colorful! But thankfully by the time it ended they were friends again. And I needed some Advil.

Today we had to leave the hotel early and head to the US Consulate to finalize Charlie's visa. We had to pull him out of bed, and he was very sad and unsettled. He handled the van ride and whole procedure fairly well, but on the way back to the hotel, he and another newly adopted little boy got into a shouting match, and screamed at each other in Mandarin at the top of their lungs. This lasted for a long time, complete with spitting and growling. It was a baby smack-down! It was funny, it was loud, it was stunning, and our son was BOLD. The other child said "these white people (meaning our family and his) speak a strange foreign language, we can't even talk to them!", and Charlie replied "you say bad words! I am older than you, I tell you be quiet!" Our son is actually younger than the other boy, but I don't think he really cares. oy.

Thanks so much for your prayers, support, and good wishes.  They mean the world to us!

We Love the Park!

7th Familiversary!

Better late than never...

Last week was our Familiversary, marking 7 years since we adopted our Annie Rose from China!  Some families call this Gotcha Day, Adoption Day, Family Day, etc.  Same thing, all.  Our very jet lagged family of four celebrated by heading to Pei Wei for dinner.  Noodles, rice, chopsticks, fortune cookies.  Fun was had by all!

For his part of the extravaganza, Charlie was eager to touch cups and "cheers" with each of us over and over.  Have no clue where he learned this, but he was shouting "gan bei!" with great enthusiasm.  As with most things Dan Dan, it was a rather large and hilarious sight.

There are no words to fully describe my gratitude and emotions when I consider the last 7 years.  I remember every moment of my first day as Annie's mom.  She was so tiny, so anxious, and quite mad.  She had no idea who the strangers were that kept calling themselves Mama and Baba, she was certain she wanted no part of us.   She was fierce, she was mighty, she was shockingly loud!   She was the most beautiful baby we'd ever seen.  She had coal-black eyes that sparkled, and her mouth was like a dark red rosebud.  

Over the next few days in China, Annie slowly began to trust us.  She began to show us her smile, and we even saw hints of her humor, which to this day remains one of her brightest features.  We learned early on Annie had a love for music, and a dancer's heart, too.  We were so smitten with our daughter, we would stay awake at night and watch her sleep.  The above picture is of Annie in China, the first night we had her.  Oh my.  :)  We were goofy in love with our sweet girl, and 7 years later, we feel the same way.

Happy Familiversary, Annie Rose LiMing!   We are thankful for you each and every day!

So What's With the Hair?

We've heard this several times since our return from China.  Our son does have a rather unique 'do.  In nearly every picture we've ever seen of our boy since day one, he's sporting a traditional Chinese haircut, with a long tail in the back, shaved all over, other than a long patch in the front.  This is not a common modern-day cut for little boys, and it makes him look very "Last Airbender-ish".  We asked about this from his caretakers in China.  We were told this is a very special cut, and the orphanage staff decided this was a good look for our little dude.  :)  The long tail in the back is for good luck and longevity.  Fu Cho, one of the staff memebers in the orphanage said the shaved head with patch in the front is there to draw attention, to say "here, look at this awesome boy"!  It is a sign of endearment, our Dan Dan's distinguished hairstyle.  It's very different, but it's growing on us.  Not sure how long we'll keep this haircut, but for now, he rocks the look quite well.