One year home ~ Bella & Deanna. May 26, 2012

Happy 2 years!

Then 2009...

2009

2009



2011



2011



2011

Foster Update: Deanna

First-- She is sooo beautiful. This is our precious girl-- how can your eyes not well-up from pure joy knowing we will have our daughter in our arms in less than 60 days-- okay, okay-- back to the facts. :)

Her Update reports: Healthy (we already know she has CP), she is potty trained, and she knows her colors. She is more confident. She can lead other children to recite children's songs, and she can lead the morning exercises. :) She is introverted and shy amongst strangers and new environment and gets scared to talk, but when you know her--she is outgoing. She has to be reminded of nap time, otherwise she will continue to play, and play. Adorable.

She loves rice, noodles and dumplings---{hmmm, that sounds totally familiar!} :)

44 Cake Party Pictures

Yes, we are very thrilled we have received 44 Happy Birthday/Spring Festival pictures

from our care package we sent to Our Bella!

Bella knows who her family is!She looks so happy!

"I would send her a care package each week, just to see those Rosy cheeks and her eyes light up. Adorable!!! I love her very much. It is hard to wait-- but soon, my Love (DH) and 1st adopted daughter will go to Ch!n@ and receive our beautiful gift of a daughter; Bella, and bring her home to me"-- her waiting mama.So, that is how you eat this. Or, better yet I can just dig in!!!
Her friends :o)

...and No silly, I am not going to post all 44 pictures! :o) Just a half dozen adorable shots of our Bella XiaoHan.

Foster Report Udpate

They tell us; Bella is daytime potty-trained. She loves to help you gather your items if you need something. She likes answering the door to greet people and always finds friends to play with. She gets along with everyone. She can hold her bowl and use chopsticks to eat her food. She likes to climb stairs. She can get ready for bed, at bed-time with her Pj's. ;o)

Heart Melting; with Love from Maoming

Deanna walking!-- out to see who has arrived. It is her BFF in China!

{Her mommy sent these photos to me in an email

while visiting the orphanage, after adopting her daughter in December 2010.}

--They live near enough to visit during summer break!We are so thrilled to see Deanna, and her BFF--photos like this are priceless to us,

as we wait; half-a-world-away to hold our girl. We can never repay this kind of generosity and love-- except to pay it forward; and be friends forever for our daughters. Thank you T! :)

Closure

Today was our last post-adoption Social Worker visit from Jan, our dear friend and adoption SW. Today also just happens to be Chinese Moon Festival. James bought moon cakes from our local Asian grocer. *Wishing I'd taken pictures of the visit, oops for afterthoughts. We had a great evening of moon cakes, tea and lots of stories of this past year with our two newest and oldest kids to share with our SW. We loaded her up with pictures to include for the final Ch!N@ post-adoption update. The kids had a great year in pictures. Don't worry she will be our Clinical Social Worker for Bella's adoption as well...so we will still see her. :) Jan is like an extension of our family with all her strengths, concern, intuitiveness and blessed help. The evening went well, everyone interacted including the boy, and we had a great final visit and a wonderful Moon Festival.

Look who's talking?

We received an update on our littlest lotus flower...

First of all; she is so Beautiful. She is Talking {lots}, she can now go up and down stairs by herself. And "Like Father Like Daughter"; she likes TV and is Potty Trained.

First day of School.

2 Middle Schoolers, a Fifth grader and a Third Grader... ~Notice the Flute! :o)

...the beginning of our adoption for... Bella

Yes, It's true! We have started the process... one more "final" time, to adopt. We are so excited to be able to be blessed to have yet one more precious gift from God, our child another daughter. This is our milestone and journal page of our families journey to adopt; our youngest daughter. She is somewhere waiting for us in China.

We submitted our Application on 04/19/2010, and Our MCC {medical conditions checklist} on 4/22/2010; and we were approved on 05/06/2010.
We have decided on a name for our littlest one; Bella ^(Insert Chinese Name) Mystique.
We downloaded the Dossier Guide tonight, 5/23/2010, it was the last day of School for your siblings, "Bella". It is now Summer time, ~ mommy homework time ~ time for your mommy to do the Dossier {loads of Paperwork & Documents} to get all of them to China, so we can meet and bring you home, ...forever our daughter.

Guess what??... We know who Bella is. We are

over the moon with joy. Today is 6/10/2010 and we have seen Bella's Face. Our Hearts have grown 10 sizes bigger and our eyes full of tears of joy. We have been Humbled and Blessed to be the parents and family of this child. She is a beautiful little girl, age four from AnYang, Henan, P.R. China. She is an orphan in foster care and she is most desperately loved by us, her new forever family. Our prayers have been answered yet once again for a gift from GOD, a child to call our daughter, forever.

We Sent our LOI (letter of Intent to adopt) today 6/14/2010 to Ch!n@.
We recieved PA (PreApproval) to adopt our youngest daughter 6/21/2010.
Welcome our newest baby girl; her name means "Beautiful Aura of the Sky or Firmament"; aka Beautiful Heavenly Aura ~ Bella XiaoHan Mystique.
We started our Homestudy by attending our Orientation at our agency on 6/25/2010.
Today is 08/12/10 and the dossier paperchase for you, "Our Bella" is coming right along. We mailed our last documents that we have control over (timeline control) to the S.O.S. for certification, and Jan M. our family Social Worker, emailed and said the Homestudy has just been reviewed (read 3+ times or more) by Judy at our agency :o)... so we are underway my girl. We have to sit back and let the governments now weigh in with their approval notices, and fingerprint invitations and a whole bunch of acronyms for your adoption... but we are well underway. Hang tight our littlest lotus blossom, we are coming in 2011.

Today is 08/24/10 Our Homestudy is at our State-AA (Adoption Alliance) for approval... which should take one to two weeks, then on to USCIS (United States Customs and Immigration Service), where they will invite us to be fingerprinted and then approve us (mommy & daddy) as fit parents to adopt an orphan (our beloved Bella) from an International Hague Country.
This last step is very lengthy, waiting possibly up to 90 days for this last document (I-797C) for the Dossier, but it is in place to protect the children and families... Pray for us and Bella that everything will move smoothly so she can have us and us have her and she will no longer be an Orphan, but the child born of Our Hearts.

I last wrote on this page we were expecting our fingerprint appointment-- well that came, and we stopped by our agency to deliver our Dossier-- and then when we got home--- WELL we found Deanna staring back at us on the Waiting Child Website!! A complete and perfect circle to our children-- Welcome and follow along I can't keep up with this page any longer! LOL!!!

The Number SIX

We've made it, & with candied "Gummis' on top.

~

It has been six months since we met them, and found ourselves with two more children added and blessed into our humbled family. We Celebrated "Gotcha day" with Scott and Athena and the rest of the brood at Golden Corral this evening.

~

Things are going great as a family.

~

Can you believe I can say that:o) ...after the torture of months #'d three and four... I remember dreading the social workers unexpected visit during month 3 ...knowing I did not want to see her for at least another couple months, we needed more time to be family. (At least wait until the 6 month mark, I kept thinking as she made plans to arrive that day.) I knew I just was not up to seeing her and thinking I sure wish the behavioral issues had subsided... like what? [you ask]...crawling on the floor like a dog at school and home, hitting a girl at school, complaining about everything (especially food), always last, bossy, manipulative, controlling, dominating, walking yards ahead of group, talking in Chinese with curse words and name calling to 'Chinese' siblings, not respecting any female.

...But then really, BAM! at 4.5 months it was so much better. He finally 'cracked' ~ cried (grieved, if that is what it was) and has been able to hug, more than just at bedtime and take, tolerate (LOL) cheek kisses... he still does not kiss, but he does hug and for a preteen boy that is awesome. ;-) and he can now be nice and concerned for his siblings feelings, and respects a women or girls in general as people not personal servitudes. So he has stopped bossing and controlling most (LOL) situations. I say, we have finally 'hit-pay-dirt' with him and now we are truly feeling family. It was hard those month right after the initial two month 'honeymoon phase' that a family typically sees in adoption. But now we know it is not a honeymoon period, it 'IS' the real bond that grew, a little slower with an older boy. But love all the same.

Our girls though, 'easier' is such a simple way to put it. They honeymoon'ed and never looked back, I guess that was good since we needed that little extra effort & time for our son to come around. Today we are at 6 months, with our two newest and our two oldest children [all in the same, adopted out of birth order] and wow, it feels good. Better, Relaxed and Family like. Wheewhhh!

~

Whelp, we made it. :-) our Social worker is actually joining us again {3rd visit in 6 months} and this one we are open armed at feeling content and relaxed with. She will be at our court date in April, and she will do our six months post adoption at dinner that evening/afternoon.

~

Anyway what prompted this response is ...I know we are 'way okay' as family. I am actually thinking with a clearer head, because this happened today as I looked over and had time too, and actually really LOOKED over my bank statement and wondered when and why my insurance had went up 40 bucks a month?

What?

I had not been writing down an extra 40 bucks missing from my account through automatic draft. ....So, I went out to the garage pulled the month by month statement that I had filed out there and low and behold how about in June LOL!!! When we bought a new VAN... "hey dumbo, wake up... get your head out of the sand, it is time!". At least I am thinking clearly NOW, and am now more relaxed around here, and have found time to be in control of me and myself and THINK about my duties... OMG!! At least I found out before the checks bounced :o) ... I have been able to take time to do budgets, [as you hear me moan and sound off to you all; my good friends] I can now think and have found a few mistakes that had been left unattended to, ...due to adoption crisis's first ... & me and myself last.

...awhh at least we are finally seeing normal around here. Now, not every moment is that perfect essence, but pretty darn close. But hey, it wouldn't be 'normal' if it were all roses without manure~sometimes! We are Happy & Hangin' in there.

~

Happy "Forever Family Day" S and A and momma too!;-)

We love you!

A Month...

We all; (cousins included) went the Movie Theater and saw a PG family flick...{but, it's not "Alvin and The Chipmunks"}. ...And an UPDATE:

What's new after a month of being home in the USA.

Well, we received Scott's American Citizenship papers today, and a letter that Athena needs to report in person to USCIS to pick hers up... after she takes the oath, again, signs she wants to stay American, again, and be re~fingerprinted, this time Electronically. Does USCIS ever give adoption families a break... LOL! Actually they have been very friendly and nice... this is just part of the process for Athena as she immigrated and became an American Citizen through adoption; same as Scott a month ago, but her Birth Certificate puts her as an adults' immigration status.

Updates, hmmm...(Alphabetically):

Athena; is wearing glasses, has no cavities, has a plan of action for immunizations, is awaiting her EKG appointment. She is wearing a size 10 pants, and a girls Large shirt & dresses too. She is really happy and she loves her sister Hannah. She is so glad she has a big family with two brothers and she is a loving daughter to her mommy and daddy. She enjoys laughing at silly things. She is understanding a lot of English and speaking many sentences in English. She is doing Chinese Dance Class with her sister Hannah, and enjoying it alot. She is in Fifth grade and loving school. She is a typical girl with more shoes than are able to fit into the closet, LOL ...even a new pair of black faux leather boots! Hannah is really showing her the "Diva" way.
~
Hannah; is doing as well, as always. She is loving being the baby sister, but also being the teaching sister. She loves having a sister, something she has missed since her and her "China Sisters" from Maoming came home. She enjoys showing her new siblings the ropes and inspiring them to behave, let loose and enjoy family and food. Hannah is in 2nd grade and reading and writing English very well. She loves everyone. Hannah is wearing a size 7/8 pants, and a Medium girls shirt and dress. {all the kids have the new adjustable waist pants, LOVE THEM}
~
Jacob; is the same little man~with the humor of a "hunsufamily" member! OMG, he thinks all his humor is funny! He likes having a new brother, and a new sister and still loves Hannah and yet still manages to finds her annoying! LOL :o) He is still able to find and likes his "own time" too. He has been a big help in this transition in teaching, role modeling and listening, and genuinely helping. He is happy and loving to his siblings, most the time... except when Hannah is bossy, :o} & when Scott stinks it up with a fart... or two. :o\ Yikes (Paybacks daddy says!) Jacob is wearing a size 8/10 pants and a Medium boys shirt.
~
Scott; is the most improved... LOL! He no longer jumps on beds. (China adoption travel blog)... He has really taken to listening in English and working on his complete English sentences. He loves his family and his brother and his sisters are okay too, ("family is good" he says, "I love You"). He really likes his cousins; Sarah and Dayne... and Sarah is very fond of Scott. She is the youngest and wildest and outrageously crazy... while chasing him around and playing hide and seek and she just likes having a big cousin to run and chase around fast and oh so WiLd & CrAzY!!! He enjoys the energy. He likes to laugh loud, when things are really hilarious. He does not quite have an "inside voice". He loves to say "mommy, mommy, mommy look, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy", and has a question for us; each time. Each time we come running, even though we are only inches away from him. LOL! It seems to comfort him to know we are here for him, his needs and to love him. He loves 5th grade and all his classmates are his friends, :o) even the teacher. He does still walk a bit (about 8 paces) ahead of the pack or a tad bit lagging when we are out in public. And he may want to wonder a few feet away if we are stopped looking at an isle in the store, he is very curious and eager to see and learn. He wants a computer,... Haha~ who doesn't; I told him he has to learn more English to use it, read upon it & navigate it. He is awaiting his dental visit, things look fairly good in that dept. he is growing his back molars. He is wearing a size 12 "husky" pants and a boys Large shirt. Oh, & yes he is a typical boy, loves jokes, DVD's,Video Games, lightsabers and farts... :o)
~
All four are affectionate with plenty of hugs for parents and siblings alike and with mommy & daddy goodnight cheek kisses too and holding hands while walking places... (the boys - not so much with the hand holding in public... go figure... no surprise on that one). :o)

~
They all say "I Love You". Each are beginning to understand "Today, Tomorrow and Tomorrow-Tomorrow", when determining time lines. They can all tell time on a clock; which is beneficial in determining timelines as well. It must be hard to be in this "limbo bubble" of sorts, learning a new language and to do things and go along with the group... and to be happy and content even though you are a wee'bit confused by the sounds, the date and the days of the week printed and explained in English. But we learned from Scott from his new formed English sentences that the Chinese Calendar starts on a Monday and ends on a Sunday. We mark each day off on the kitchen calendar and we talk about when we have school, work, a day off, when we are going shopping at the Asian Grocery or Going to the College for Chinese Language School/Dance. All this is helpful.

~

As for basic chores: They all help with gathering their laundry and making their bed and clearing their dishes from meals. They all can brush their own teeth nicely and we are learning the ropes, {all most mastered} of how to use a shower. Not a splash water tub, type, squat and clean thingy... It is good. They are doing great at self care, American Style. :o) The girls enjoy helping mom a bit in the kitchen as well. They are eating more variety and protein too... I actually can not remember when I last cooked Ramen... :o) but I can tell you this, it will most likely be tonight. LOL!!! and I'd better get them started...

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

OK, let's just call it what it was, a "Half-Moon" Festival. ;o)

Scott had taken about 15 moon-cake pieces off this serving plate when I caught him... he put it back, but I wonder how many he would have taken?

Hannah liked the Festival Food as well, not sure what she's eating though.

I think it was a Fish-Pork-Rind. ;o\

Fresh Moon-cakes from the "Quaint Small Festival". Ahwhh, I was hoping for a big party.

Journal Update:

We took them to Golden Corral for breakfast. What seemed as a good idea; hoping that exposure and choices would make food easier, if they could see the "bounty" before them. Maybe tryout some new flavors, visualize and sample what was appealing to them. Athena ate one banana (I insisted on it) and 2 milks, (insisted again) the rest of her plate turned into a "lets eat candy and cake". Actually she had; Gummi Bears, sunflower seeds, crushed mixed nuts (from the dessert topping bar), and chocolate covered raisins, she had two rice crispy treats as well on her plate, but never touched them. Both Scott and Athena are having problems adjusting to "American" food. They didn't even like Krispy Kreme Donuts! This is of course, expected and normal. Hannah too, after watching these two new ones, be finicky over food has regressed in her eating as well. (normal again, but this is were we stand, for new updates).

We are blessed we have no aggression with/amongst four siblings. (or parents, heheheheheee) And most are sleeping soundly through the night. Athena has some night terrors, and whimpers and talks in her sleep. She is sound asleep during all this, and wakes in the morning, happy as a bee. Scott is sleeping well, and both are doing well with School. They actually love the routine. Scott is progressing in English and hand signs. Athena is well mastered in hand signs and her English is very good, wanting to learn new words each day. All four kids or all six of "us", are still happy to be a part of this craziness; that we call family aka Jia'!

Believe it or Not!

That they ate it? or That I cooked it?

The girls; or should I say the noodle twins.

The Boys... a little on the "Ham & Corn-y" side. :o)

Grandma, Grandpa and "buddy" (the puppy-dog) headed for their home today. They were a great help around here this past (our first) week home. I think they were ready to go, (we already miss them) but they will be back soon enough with the holidays approaching.

Holidays? OMG, don't even go there, yet.

Journal Update:
Athena age 12; She is wearing a size 10 pants, and a girls medium shirt and a size 12 dress.
Scott age 11; He is wearing a size 12 "Husky" pants, and boys large shirt. No dress Ha ha! :o)
Jacob age 9.5; He is wearing a size 10 pants and a boys medium shirt.
Hannah age 8.5; She is wearing a size 7 pants and girls small shirt and a size 8 dress.

Awwh, We are "finally" going to sleep in our own bed this month.

Yes, you read that right. First time since August.

Good Night, Sweet Dreams.