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. 

Three Things

1.  I have been up with one kid or the next since 12:30.  Jetlag and time zone differences are not my friends.

2.  Charlie discovered the automatic water dispenser on the fridge a few hours ago, love at first sight.

3.  Charlie's favorite food is ketchup.  I dozed off on the sofa, woke up just now to find him licking a plate full of the stuff.  Have no idea where he got the plate from, maybe out of the sink?  NASTY.

That is all.

Moments from The "Red" Couch...

Here it is, our official Red Couch Photos:  (a.k.a. The Champagne Couch, and The Blue Chair!)

And the outtakes... minus the shot of me with Charlie's silk pants on my head.  Saving that for one the Christmas cards.  :)

 

Earthquake Hits Denton

I am told there was an earthquake in Denton overnight.  Can't believe I missed it.  We were up most of the night with a wired and jetlagged Dan Dan.  Or maybe I thought the earthquake was just another rumble of the wild and crazy of my son, and my life these days.  Dan Dan was not only awake, but wanted Annie to be awake.  Despite efforts to contain him, he kept running into her room, shouting "JIE JIE!!", and shaking her.  He didn't understand why she wanted to miss out on all the fun.  And then he kept finding things and feeling the need to take them to Shad.  Like liters of Diet Dr. Pepper and Shad's camera case, also his glasses. 


We went to breakfast this morning, our family of four.  Shad and I are doing our best to plow through the day, though we are tired and drained and impatient.  Even though we are all irritable and I would have loved to have stayed home in my pjs all day, my littles needed to get out in the sunshine to re-set their body clocks.  We learned that lesson the hard way when we brought home Annie in 2004.  We had an interesting breakfast.  I am sure we looked insane.  Shad and I were zombie-like, and the kids were hyper and emotional.  It was not fun, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. 


After breakfast, we went to the park.  Annie had a blast being a big sister and showed Charlie the ropes of the playground.  It was a very sweet sight.  Charlie wants to do every single thing she does, and though he is very physical and strong and active, he's still just three.  He tries to keep up, and does a pretty good job, but also takes a lot of hard spills and tumbles.  And where Annie is my careful child, Charlie is NOT.  He is covered from face to feet with bruises and scrapes, all from the last 13 days he's been with us.   One of the first things he did when he was checking out his new home yesterday was leap to the top of Annie's bunkbed, which is no small accomplishment.  I may be white-headed by the time he is 5.

We are hoping for more sleep tonight.  After the park we came home and the kids took a big bubble bath for a long time.  We've been pretty low-key the rest of the day, very glad not to be in airports, planes, or hotel rooms.  Annie and her bro are watching "Tom and Jerry" cartoons, which we got in China.  Charlie loves this show.  This one is in Mandarin, although there are no words, so no translation neccessary. 

Annie is enjoying sisterhood more today than yesterday, there is progress on that front.  She is eager to give minute by minute reports on her degree of fondness for her brother.  Currently the like-o-meter is fairly high, so hope may be on the horizon again.   At least for this moment. 

HOME

We arrived back in good ol' little D this afternoon, Denton has never looked so good.  We loved China and had an amazing adventure, but no place is a good as home.  Shad was craving Tex Mex the entire trip, so his parents took us to lunch after the airport.  Charlie was so sleepy (after being EXTRA wired on the plane ride!), he wasn't into his enchiladas much at all.  He did like the chips, I must say.  That is something both of my kids have in common, when chips are around, Charlie and Annie inhale them. 

After lunch we came home, and Charlie saw his photos in the house.   He saw the tree he had colored for us in the orphanage a couple of months ago.   He saw his room and his bed.   He was so happy and at peace.  With every word and action and expression on his face, he seemed to say "now I am HOME." 

Annie is exhausted, she's slept the least of all of us the last 2 days.  The kids and I went to bed at 5:00 this afternoon, and thankfully she is still asleep.  Dan Dan woke up at 10:00, ready for action.  Our body clocks are all off, and we are jetlagged.  Hoping my little wild boy goes to sleep again sometime before the sun comes up.  If I can just keep him away from the electrical outlets I will be happy.  He is still fixated on anything that plugs in, and now has a whole house full of cords to experiement with.  Oy.

He's found our cats now, and is very curious and busy running, hands waving madly in hopes to pet them.  They are running for their lives, want no part of our newest family member.   It's an interesting ride for all of us!  We are so grateful to be parents to two wonderful and amazing children.   I am still in awe that this is my life.   Our hurdle of adopting our son, we finally cleared it.  Now if I can just keep him alive, we'll be in good shape.

Iced Tea and Other Fabulosities About Moms

Last Monday in Guangzho I was so sick, some kind of virus that felt like the flu.   I stayed in the hotel room and slept all day while everyone else in the family went to a safari park.  I have been so thankful no one else in our crew caught my germs.   For the past 3 weeks I have been missing my favorite drink of all time, my daily Happy Hour ray of sunshine, my Large Unsweet Tea from Sonic.   In China they don't drink ice tea, or ice in their drinks at all for that matter.  Drinks are served either hot, or room temperature.   It's a little thing, but I love ice.  After the safari park, my mom came to check on me, and she brought me the only iced tea in the area, from Starbucks nearby.  She had been searching for this for days.  Maybe it's because I had a fever, or maybe it's because it came from Mom, but it tasted better than anything I'd ever put in my mouth.  :)   


Some of you know I have had health issues this year.  Shad was very worried about how I would manage the trip to China.  I am horrible about accepting help, but if there is anyone I am semi-decent about receiving from, it's my mama.  She went to China with us and has been a Godsend.  She has helped in so many ways I can't even count them, including taking care of her grown daughter, which is no easy chore.  She has chased my son when he darted out in front of traffic, been Annie's teacher and made sure she's stayed on top of her schoolwork, been a sounding board for our stress, emotions, and frustrations.  Mom has been there as an escape for Annie, at a time when the dynamics in our family have changed dramatically for her.  Adoption trips are not easy, to say the least.  My mother has seen us at our very worst, and witnessed our greatest joys.  Her kindness, patience, and generous spirit has never wavered.  I will never be able to repay her.


On the Home Front is Sue, my sweet Mother-in-Law, who has maintained life for us at home while we've been 7,000 miles away.  She and my Father-in-Law, Ross, have taken care of our precious dog, Bagel, and made her life so awesome she will probably not want to come home.  Sue brought us her luggage, and just laughed when we told her it had become battered and abused.  She has been Annie's Skype buddy, and has chatted in her pjs with our girl, staying up late just so Annie could get her daily "GG fix".  There is NO ONE Annie would rather chat with than her GG!  Sue has also made beautiful curtains for Charlie's room, and helped to decorate as well.   She even had our house cleaned for us, I may just cry when I see it.  :)  Most importantly, Sue sent LSU shirts on our trip for the kids.  The Griffin Family would not be complete without them! 

We are in Chicago now, after overnighting and catching up on some much needed sleep.  The trip yesterday went as well as could be expected.  While Annie didn't sleep at all for the entire 15hours on the plane, and Charlie feel asleep ONE HOUR before the plane landed, I was very grateful for a mostly painless journey.  Annie lost her tooth mid-flight, and the Tooth Fairy found her last night, even in Chicago.  She woke up with $2 and she was pumped!  We all slept last night, and are getting ready to leave soon.  We can't wait to get home!  Sue and Ross will meet us at the airport, and take our crew back to Denton.   My dad will meet us there as well to fetch my mother, hopefully she won't run from us too fast.  :)   Ross and Daddy have supported our family over the course of this crazy ride, too, and cannot wait to meet their new grandson.  We are so grateful for our devoted, giving parents.

It won't be long until we are HOME!  Home, that might be my new favorite word.  At least for today.

One Simple Request (a mom can dream...)

We arrived in Hong Kong this afternoon after a very smooth 3 hour ride from Guangzho. After the fiasco of the plane trip from Tianjin to GZ, we hired a driver and traveled in a van. Turns out this was a great move. Dan Dan slept most of the way, while Annie filmed the entire ride with her little video camera. She has been very into making movies of our trip! Some of the experiences she's chosen to document for posterity are rather interesting, too. It seems every time I am having a moment of crankiness, I find out I've been the star of yet another video. The longer our travels drag on, the more I am a featured player. She likes to film her brother's meltdowns, too. And likes to play them back for us to see. Lovely. :)

As many of you know, all families who adopt from China must make a stop in Guangzho before heading home. While in GZ, it is a cherished custom to dress newly adopted kiddos in traditional Chinese attire, and take photos of them of on The Red Couch at The White Swan Hotel. Thousands of Chinese adopted children have done this over the years, including Annie back in 2004 at 12 months. This is something I was really looking forward to. We were disappointed to find out The White Swan has been renovated, and the couch is no longer there. I was determined to make the best of it, insistent on having my Red Couch moment, even if the only couch I could find was champagne gold. I got the kids ready for this before we left GZ today. Annie was ADORABLE in her new turquoise silk dress with a peacock on the front. I had a set of olive green silks with a gold dragon on the shirt for Dan Dan, thought it was a very fitting look for my little brazen dude. I decided to dress him on location, because changing in the room for Dan Dan means stripping down and starting the bath. I even had Annie dress in secret so he wouldn't get any big ideas. So Annie is posed on the sofa, she is ready. And Dan Dan... he starts to flee. He is deeply offended by the new clothes, starts to screech at the sight of them, and the fight is on. I decide if he can just wear the shirt and keep his jeans on, that's good enough. But Dan Dan had other plans. He makes a break for it down the hall, screaming something in Mandarin about Hong Kong. He was told we were going there, and the picture was not part of the plan. Or the stupid new clothes, he said. I lowered my standards, decided if he could just HOLD the shirt, or even sit by Annie at all, that was good enough. He was so irritated, I finally stuck the silk pants on my head, a weak attempt at humor in hopes to salvage the moment. He thought I was nuts, but he was still not happy. He finally settled on sitting by himself in a blue chair, with a full-on rebel rouser look on his face. Score one for Dan Dan. Again.

Man, our boy makes us tired. But he is super sweet too, and getting more comfortable with his new family. It was a very hard week, but in the last day or so, he's turned a corner. He is still a giant handful, but seems more settled. He is also giving more hugs, and even said "wo ai ni" last night when I put him to bed, "I love you." Wow. :) Annie has handled the huge transistion of sisterhood very well, all things considered. Two great kids, that's what I have. Blessed am I.

Tomorrow at 11:00 HK time we leave for home! We arrive in Chicago some 15+ hours later, and will overnight there. We are not looking forward to what the next 2 days holds, but come heck or high water, we're on our way back to Denton. We'll be home Saturday afternoon sometime. Thanks so much for all your love and good wishes and prayers. We feel them all the way around the world.