Gramma and Autie Lara came up from Oregon to celebrate Thanksgiving with us and my family. This was their first time seeing Li Li since we landed at the airport more than two months ago. Li Li enjoys all the attention.
Gramma brought Birthday presents for Li Li
Li Li and her auntie.
Enjoying the meal. Koen saved room for pie and Li Li didn't even try her turkey.
Performing, as usual.
This was Li Li discovering Christmas lights last night. "Wow!..." followed by Chinese babble of some sort.
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Family
Tagged: thanksgiving
Enter your password to view commentsCategories: Family
Tagged: thanksgiving
Enter your password to view commentsCategories: Adoption · Family
Tagged: forever family, provision, sleep
This is Li Li celebrating her 1st birthday a year ago:
The children in True Children’s Home care gather together for every child’s birthday. They usually celebrate at a local park, and always have big beautiful cakes. This is Li Li with her foster mom.
So much has changed for our little girl in the last year. I’m so glad we got to celebrate her 2nd birthday with her. A few months ago we weren’t sure we were going to make it to China and back in time.
Li Li really enjoyed her family party yesterday. She lights up with attention and performed well for her family, some of whom she’d just met. It was fun for me to watch others delight in her and spoil her with love and gifts. She enjoyed openning a few gifts to start, but then just wanted to play with them. She particularly enjoyed wearing her new sunglasses and we had a hard time getting her to finish opening her big pile of presents. After taking a break for cake, she was ready to finish.
Li Li playing with balloons and her great-aunts.
Koen - man enought to enjoy pink balloons too.
We had to have Chinese food.
Papa and Mama made Li Li a panda cake.
She loved the dress-up clothes Koen got her.
In a whole different world for this birthday.
Can I eat it yet?
Happy 2nd Birthday Liliana!
→ 3 CommentsCategories: Family
Tagged: birthday
Today Grammi took the kids and I for a fun day at a mini gym/play place and a yummy lunch. We had our neighbors over for cupcakes in honor of Liliana’s 2nd birthday as well. The big celebration is tomorrow though, when we have a family party for her. For some of our family, it will be the first time they meet her.
Silly cupcakes
→ 3 CommentsCategories: Family
Tagged: birthday
IT’S MY CHILD’S BIRTHDAY
It’s my child’s birthday
She just went dashing by
Her eyes are sparkling with the excitement meant only for today.
Presents, kisses, hugs, cake, ice cream
It all seems so natural.
It’s a day of looking back and looking forward.
It’s my child’s birthday
But there is something different happening inside me.
This should be a day of complete joy
A day for Thanksgiving
But in the midst of all this excitement
I pause, because my thoughts are about someone else for a time.
It’s my child’s birthday
I have no memories of her life growing inside me and fighting to be
released.
Another someone was there
Another someone suffered for my joy.
It’s my child’s birthday
But someone, somewhere, is feeling emptiness inside.
I’m sure she is wondering
Who she looks like
If she is big or small.
Wondering if she laughs much.
It’s my child’s birthday
And in the midst of this blessed day that was given to me
I have a prayer.
Oh God, that I may never forget that someone suffered so much to give life
to my child.
That someone loved my child so very much that she gave her the right to
live. May I never
forget for a moment and especially now, today, to offer a prayer of thanks
for that someone
and that you, dear God, will always be there for that someone to help her
through the hurts
she will have when she stops to think that today is “my child’s birthday.”
-Author Unknown
→ 1 CommentCategories: Family
Tagged: birthday
Enter your password to view commentsCategories: Adoption · Family
Tagged: birth mother, birthday
This weekend we got together with our friends who also adopted from True Children’s Home and celebrated our girls’ birthdays (2 weeks apart). Our friends’ daughter, Mei Mei, turned 3 and Li Li will be two this Friday. The kids had a great time and it was good for Keith and I to talk about adoption-related issues with our friends.
2 Happy Birthday Girls
Loving the Cupcake
Today I took both kids to the Social Security office to get Liliana registered, and actually survived. Both kids did pretty well for the hour that we were there (assisted by snacks). Keith didn’t get home until just before bed time tonight, and I was feeling like I had a somewhat successful day until she totally refused to take the bottle from me and only wanted Keith. I am exhausted and hope life gets easier soon.
→ 1 CommentCategories: Family
Tagged: birthday
