3 months ago today Liliana joined our family. Our lives have changed dramatically since that first tearful moment. I barely remember what it was like before her, but there are deffinitely times I long to just have one child again. 
For the most part, life is getting easier – only slightly anyway. I can’t believe I’m writing that after the morning I had. My grocery shopping experience with them today was so frustrating there were several times I was doing everything I could to not cry.
Yesterday was Li Li’s stage debut. Last year when Koen was 2.5 he stole the show during our church’s preschool Christmas show. He danced and smiled and really enjoyed the attention. I thought it would be Li Li’s turn this year. We all know she’s cute and so social. She even knew the hand motions to “Away in a Manger!” Well this year it was someone else’s turn, but at least mine didn’t disrupt or disobey. Neither kid sang (no surprise), but Li Li didn’t even do the motions she knew! My kids were the normal kids in this year’s program, while some of the other little cuties stole the show. It was still fun to watch. Here’s the photos:
My little Shepherd boy with his lamb sister.
Li Li was supposed to be a little lamb, not a deer in headlights. The shepherd in the back has the same expression!
Koen is the tall one in the back in light brown and you can probably pick Li Li the lamb out easily.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Christmas Program
Our last name has been blocked out
I finally finished mailing our Liliana’s adoption announcement, so I can post it here. Keith did a great job on it. The stamps in the corner of the little pictures say Ai Li in Mandarin. My contribution: the font. It’s nice, isn’t it?:)
Categories: Uncategorized
December 9, 2009 · Enter your password to view comments
Categories: Family
Tagged: testing, thankful
December 5, 2009 · Enter your password to view comments
Categories: Family
Tagged: Christmas, discipline, tantrums
Li Li is adjusting much better. Her English comprehension is really amazing, and she has about 60 words now. She doesn’t seem to have a clear preferance between Keith or I anymore. She deffinitely is more a part of the family and seems comfortable with us. We rarely hear the grieving cry anymore. She continues to test the limits we’ve set and her and Koen have a pretty normal sibling relationship already (love/hate). Koen has said several times that he wants another sister from China and often pretend plays that he’s flying to China “to get another girl.”
Bedtime still takes much longer than we’d like and makes our condo feel tiny. If either child wakes up in the middle of the night, we are running in to keep the other child from waking, which wakes up the first child all the more. There’s been several nights where Li Li whimpers a little, we come in and rub her back to calm her, and then she lays there with her eyes wide open for up to an hour! We’re afraid to leave the room because she’ll cry and wake up Koen…… We’d really like to get into a 3-bedroom house soon, and have been looking a little.
Favorite things to do:
-Take a bath with brother
-Dance
-Dump out every toy and resist picking things back up
-Eat (she’s still adding chub every day)
-Ask “why?” for everything (copying brother)
-Wrestle with BaBa and Koen
-Jump on the couch with Koen
-Color and paint
-Help Mama set the table (because it helps the food come faster!)
-Sing
Li Li has a cold again and is having problems with constipation. She pretty much eats whatever we serve her, but still fights the veggies a bit.
I’m feeling much better as a Mommy, but maybe it’s only because Keith had this whole last week off. I’m loving and enjoying my little girl more, but still don’t feel like I’m “there” with my bonding to her. There are still times all my buttons are pushed.
On Saturday we took our extended family out for Dim Sum, which comes from Guangdong Province, where Li Li is from. Li Li squealed with delight when the BBQ Pork Baked Buns came out.
Enjoying our Dim Sum
Categories: Adoption · Family
Tagged: attachment, bonding
November 29, 2009 · 1 Comment
The day after Thanksgiving it has become our tradition to go to a local nursery (Molbacks) to attempt to get Christmas pictures. They have lots of pretty Christmas decorations and we usually have fun. The kids didn’t want to cooperate, but we got a few cute pictures.
Meeting Santa- Li Li was hesitant and then just interested in his fur, Koen didn't know who he was but liked his hat. I guess we're doing our job of making sure Santa isn't the focus of Christmas for him.
Both kids enjoyed the fountains.
Can you find Koen and Li Li?
Cheese!
Categories: Family
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
Grammi and Koen
Li Li and her auntie.
Li Li loves her sunglasses!
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.
Categories: Family
Tagged: thanksgiving
November 25, 2009 · Enter your password to view comments
Categories: Family
Tagged: thanksgiving
November 25, 2009 · Enter your password to view comments
Categories: 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!
Categories: Family
Tagged: birthday
